From Commitment to Action: How Library Consortia Fund Open Infrastructure (SCOSS Webinar)

The SCOSS webinar, From Commitment to Action: How Library Consortia Fund Open Infrastructure, brought together representatives from Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (CSAL), Jisc, Lyrasis, Sikt to share how consortia are building sustainable funding models for open science infrastructure. Across diverse national and organizational contexts, participants emphasized a common message: open science depends on reliable, community-governed infrastructure, and sustaining that infrastructure requires coordinated, long-term investment rather than ad hoc support. 

Speakers highlighted the growing importance of SCOSS as a trusted evaluator and coordinating body that helps institutions navigate decision fatigue, assess infrastructure quality, and justify funding internally. The discussion showed a shift for some toward frameworks based on governance transparency, POSI alignment, standardized evaluation criteria, and recurring budget commitments. 

Examples from Norway and Switzerland demonstrated that streamlined administrative workflows, consolidated invoicing, predictable pricing models, and consortium coordination can significantly increase participation while reducing institutional burden. At the same time, emerging initiatives at Lyrasis and Jisc reflected growing international momentum to formalize open infrastructure assessment and embed support into institutional strategy and policy.