On 22 May 2025, the University of Namur hosted the closing event for the interuniversity FWB-COARA project.
On this occasion, CMC: Circular Materials and Chemistry – A Cross-Disciplinary Journal was presented to a wide academic and scientific audience for the first time.
The event also provided an opportunity for a significant proportion of the researchers who took part in the editorial and advisory boards of CMC to gather for the first time. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our views on the journal in person and to receive live feedback on over a year’s work on it.
Finally, the event featured a roundtable discussion about the future of Diamond Open Access, bringing together experts from various fields: Laurence El Khouri (CNRS, France), David Oliva Uribe (UNESCO), Johan Rooryck (DIAMAS project, Netherlands) and Marc Vanholsbeeck (BELSPO, Belgium).
The roundtable emphasised the need for national coordination of Diamond OA initiatives to strengthen the Diamond ecosystem. The current takeover of science in the USA could also impact the dissemination of scientific knowledge in the near future. As Johan Rooryck emphasised: “What will stop someone like Elon Musk from buying Elsevier or Wiley tomorrow, and therefore controlling the dissemination of scientific knowledge?” In this regard, it is crucial to expand and strengthen the Diamond OA ecosystem.
CMC is working towards this goal.