Building Local Capacity to Advance Open Research: Insights from Two Years of the DataCite Global Access Fund

DataCite exists to create a world where all research outputs, resources, and activities are openly connected, easy to access, and reusable. By building open, community-driven infrastructure, DataCite supports research organizations of all sizes and across all regions in sharing and connecting their work through persistent identifiers (PIDs) and rich metadata, helping strengthen a global and inclusive research ecosystem. At the same time, institutions in emerging research communities still face significant challenges. These include limited awareness of PIDs and open research infrastructure, a lack of local systems such as established data repositories, financial constraints, technical skill gaps, and language barriers — all of which can make it harder for communities to access and benefit from open infrastructure. These challenges highlight the need for tailored local engagement and outreach. To help address these barriers, DataCite’s Global Access Fund (GAF) was launched in 2023 with initial support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The GAF program provides grants to organizations across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East to support engagement activities such as capacity-building programs, outreach materials and resources, virtual and in-person training, infrastructure development, and DOI integration in regions where PID adoption is still emerging. In this blog post, we wanted to share some highlights and impacts from the first two years of the GAF and discuss some future directions and opportunities as we look ahead.