A new open access strategy for the Netherlands

The current Open Access strategy of the Netherlands from 2013, with its dependency on the author-pay model and reliance on big, revenue-driven publishers, has reached its limits.  Changing prioritisation of strategic considerations, developments in the  scholarly publishing landscape, a change in the system of recognition and rewards, the rise of the use of AI in publishing, and geopolitical developments (including considerable budget cuts within academia), call for a critical revision of the current open access strategy, covering a diversity of routes and types of scholarly output. This document elaborates on the new Open Access stategy of the Netherlands towards 2035 aiming for a flexible, inclusive, and sustainable open access ecosystem that fosters:

• Control over copyright and metadata

• More diversity in the scholarly communication landscape

• Sustainable innovation in publishing infrastructure

• Transparency and accountability for quality and integrity

• Empowerment of academic communities to create publication strategies

• Equity and openness 

In December 2025, the presidents of the Dutch Universities (UNL-SSPG) adopted this strategy for the universities.