“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” [1] Kofi A. Annan (1938 - 2018) The access to information and knowledge was once described by Kofi A. Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2001, as a “great democratizing power [...] for peace and development” [1]. Gaining knowledge, sharing it and applying it develops capabilities and expands opportunities in every aspect of our life. A fundamental part of science is the creation of knowledge and as researchers we face the task of sharing and distributing it on a daily basis. Science and therefore, creating knowledge, is a team effort and relies on the world-wide accessibility and distribution of information. Global challenges like climate change do not know country boarders; we need to ensure that information is rapidly accessible in all parts of the world to a wide (not only scientific) audience in order to meet these types of challenges.

Written by Daniel Xin Zhang and Minh TN Le