
Sven Fund, left, with BISG’s Brian O’Leary at the 2019 Publishers’ Forum from Klopotek in Berlin. Fund has curated the academic publishing track of Frankfurt Conference for its digital sessions on October 11. Image: Klopotek, Adam Janisch
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also: The trade publishing track of Frankfurt Conference
Short, Tightly Focused Topical Points
As world publishing players pack for Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 20 to 24)—whether the in-person edition or the digital offerings—a two-track conference offering has been prepared to help everyone rejoin the agenda, if you will, of the international industry’s trends and issues.- Designed to accelerate your preparations, the digital Frankfurt Conference framework is quick, efficient, targeted.
- It falls on Monday and Tuesday (October 11 and 12). For many registrants, just one of the two tracks will be adequate, per her or his business interests.
Each track runs only 2.5 hours, offering quick-focus segments so that you can look in and out to catch exactly the topics you need to hear discussed. Keep it up on one screen as you work, dipping in and out when you see one of the speakers you want to hear from. This is a deliberate departure from events of up to eight hours programmed in some other trade show settings this year.
- Monday’s focus is on academic publishing. (Tickets are here.)
- Tuesday’s focus is on the trade. (Tickets are here.)
- On both days the program opens at:
2:30 p.m. CEST
1:30 p.m. BST
12:30 GMT
8:30 a.m. ET
In this article, we’ll look quickly at the agenda for the academic program set for Monday, October 11.
In a separate article, you’ll find that same quick look at the agenda for the trade publishing program on Tuesday, October 12.
Frankfurt Conference: The Academic Track
Monday, October 11

At the Guest of Honor Flanders & the Netherlands pavilion, Frankfurter Buchmesse 2016. Image: FBM, Alexander Heimann
Sven Fund—general manager for publishing solutions with ResearchGate and general manager of Knowledge Unlatched—has curated the programming for Frankfurter Buchmesse‘s academic publishing day in the digital Frankfurt Conference on October 11 reflect his broad view of how major issues and trends are impacting academic publishing.
The speakers he’s gathered come from across the academic publishing field.

Richard Charkin
Each will put forward brief, clear opinions on a single, focused topic selected by specialists working in many parts of the world industry.
And we’ve included a session of “The Hof” for networking immediately after the program. There you’ll find our indefatigable columnist Richard Charkin waiting to greet you.
Here’s a rundown of the agenda for the sessions.
14:30 – 14:45 | Introduction | Sven Fund, General Manager Publishing Solutions, ResearchGate |
14:45 – 15:00 | Has COVID fundamentally transformed the publishing ecosystem? | Claudio Aspesi, Independent Consultant |
15:00 – 15:15 | Reimagining Publishing as a Service
Organized in partnership with the Charleston Conference |
Todd Toler, Vice President, Product Strategy and Partnerships, Wiley |
15:15 – 15:30 | Will Open Access Save Libraries?
Organized in partnership with the Charleston Conference |
Rick Anderson, University Librarian, Brigham Young University |
15:30 – 15:45 | The Open Access Choir Is Not Singing from the Same Sheet | Danny Kingsley, Associate Librarian (Content & Digital Library Strategy), Flinders University |
15:45 – 16:00 | Is Publishing Worth Investing In? | TBC |
16:00 – 16:15 | Post-Pandemic Editorial Strategy: What Have We Learned? | Penelope Lewis, Chief Publishing Office, AIP Publishing |
16:15 – 16:30 | Will Publishers’ Fears Kill Innovation? | David Worlock, Co-Chair, Outsell Leadership Community |
16:30 – 16:45 | Are Society Publishers Suited for Open Access? | Sara Bosshart, Head of Open Access Journals, Royal Society of Chemistry |
16:45 – 17:00 | Does Research Evaluation Distort Publishing? | Sami Benchekroun, Co-founder and CEO, Morressier |
17:00 – 17:15 | Conclusion | Sven Fund, General Manager Publishing Solutions, ResearchGate |
17:30 – 18:30 | The Hof: Networking for Academic Conference Attendees
Separate, free-of-charge registration required. |
Richard Charkin, Founder, Mensch Publishing (UK); Sven Fund, General Manager Publishing Solutions, ResearchGate; Hosted by Felix Zeltner |
More from us on Frankfurter Buchmesse 2021 starts with our special guide, which includes a detailed list of highlights, latest coverage, and links to ticket purchases, COVID guidelines, the exhibitor directory, ground plan, and more.
More from Publishing Perspectives on academic and scholarly publishing is here.
More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.