How can we sustain open access publishing in a cooperative way?

The sustainability of open access publishing infrastructures and initiatives is becoming increasingly important as open access as a modus operandi of scientific publishing is gaining in importance.

For reasons of efficiency and innovation, it is imperative that the scientific publication system remains in the hands of the scientific community, supported by learned societies and libraries. The variant of APC-based business models is accordingly viewed very critically and also contradicts the approach of cooperative action. While there are successful non-APC open access publishing models, they are not properly addressed in open access policies and often invisible to researchers.

OpenAIRE organized a workshop last February to bring the EU and international community together and to learn from each other on this topic. Here, strengths and weaknesses of different approaches have been analysed and practical experiences were presented and discussed, eg. about consortial models, other cost sharing and sustainability strategies.

The aim of the workshop was not only to assess the risks using SWOT analysis, to collect best practices on the establishment and operation of non-APC open access publication initiatives, but also to find conclusions on how to adapt open access policies and support mechanisms, if necessary, in order to foster non-APC based models with a long-term perspective.

The results of the workshop will now culminate in a roadmap towards sustainability for non-APC publishing targeting policy makers, funders, higher education and research institutions and learned societies providing recommendations for collective and non-APC open access publishing actions.