The primary aim of the Fellows Program was to promote the gradual opening of science and to spread the principle of collaborative knowledge production in accordance with the Wikipedia model. The program was geared toward young scientists and academics from all disciplines who want to make their own research and teaching open and usable. The Fellows Program supported the Fellows over a period of eight months and consisted of four components: qualification, mentoring, financial support and networking & visibility..
Qualification
In addition to theoretical basics on the topics of Open Knowledge and Open Science, the Fellows Program also showed participants how to apply them in practice. The focus was on supporting the Fellows in their work with digital resources. They were acquainted with methods and procedures, but also with tools they could use to promote Open Science
Mentoring
Over a period of eight months the fellows were individually advised by mentors who already apply Open Science methods in their research. They served as permanent contact persons for the implementation of their goals within their research projects. The Fellows were in regular contact with their mentors. This exchange could take the form of individual mentoring or peer-to-peer mentoring in the form of self-organized working groups. For a continuous evaluation of the joint work, the fellows and their mentors agreed on fixed goals and courses of action at the beginning of the program..
Financial Support
The fellows each received a stipend of €3,000 or €5,000 to implement an open research project. These were individual, personal grants that provided the fellows with freedom and resources to carry out their own projects. Travel and accommodation costs for classroom events in the Fellow Program were also reimbursed as needed.
Networking & Visibility
The program was intended to promote the exchange and networking of those active in the field of open science in order to further advance the gradual opening of science. To this end, the program offered the opportunity to network with experts from various disciplines, who offered insights into their free science practice. In addition, the fellows were to act as ambassadors for free knowledge and spread the idea of open science in their own and other scientific institutions and communities.