This month marks the beginning of the negotiations, led by Jisc on behalf of the higher education sector and in collaboration with key sector bodies including Universities UK (UUK), SCONUL and Research Libraries UK, to discuss how UK universities continue to access and publish open access in the journals from the five largest publishers of academic research.
Next Generation Open Access is a new world-leading initiative led by Jisc via its strategic groups, which aims to shape the future of scholarly publishing. It has two aims; help institutions address immediate financial challenges and radically expand participation in open research. By transitioning from high growth, high cost article based agreements to those that are more inclusive, we aim to advance long term sustainability, drive innovation and partnerships.
Open access to scholarly content is foundational to accelerating societal progress through open research, advancing the latest scientific advancements, fostering innovation and promoting equity. Investment in the Next Generation agreements will benefit researchers, institutions, industry and civic collaborations by broadening participation in research.
Jisc is leading sector-owned negotiations that ensure UK universities speak with one voice to achieve collective goals. The collective approach is taken between the sector and the five largest publishers of journal research (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, and Sage).
Jisc’s March 2024 report A Review of Transitional Agreements in the UK highlighted that the UK is transitioning to open access faster than the global rate, but current article-based models exclude many researchers from underfunded settings and places a greater emphasis on scale of output. Pioneering open research practices such as sharing underlying data and adopting models that allow access to research and open access publication without any author or reader facing fees offer viable, inclusive alternatives that promote greater equity and sustainability. The negotiations will look to explore these alternative models, aligning outcomes more closely with institutional values.
The sector’s negotiations will continue through the summer, with the goal to launch new agreements in November. Further background, sector requirements, and key dates can be viewed on the Jisc website atNext generation open access – Jisc.
