A new study from the BUA-funded project OBUA - Ombudswesen@BUA (2021-2023) has been published in the journal Accountability in Research (August 2024). In the article "Training, networking, and support infrastructure for ombudspersons for good research practice: A survey of the status quo in the Berlin research area" (link to the OA article), the authors Dr Simona Olivieri and Dr Viktor Ullmann have evaluated their survey of ombudspersons in Berlin on the need for training, exchange and institutional support.

The OBUA project - Ombudswesen@BUA - aimed to research the methods, evaluation and sustainability of ombudspersons to develop joint strategies for promoting and their professionalising in the institutions of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and the Berlin research area. Furthermore, the aim was to develop new approaches in consultation with the BUA partners. To this end, existing procedures were analysed, training courses for ombudspersons were held and professional exchange and networking were promoted. The project also resulted in the OBUA Toolbox for ombudspersons at Berlin research institutions (link). For the new project, the authors were able to build on the results of the previous project Ombudsmodelle@BUA (2020), in which they provided an overview of the status quo of ombudsmanship at the BUA institutions.

With the project, the authors have contributed to the professionalisation of the ombudsman system in the Berlin research area by creating new networking and training opportunities. The results of the study show that these areas have been expanded, but that there is still a great need for them to be embedded in institutional support services and adapted to the conditions of the individual organizations.