The work of the equitable licensing oversight group and its predecessor, the transitional agreements oversight group, has played a central role in shaping a more transparent, equitable and sustainable approach to open access across the UK.

Over the past four years, the group has strengthened accountability in the transition to open access, supporting the development of consortium-level dashboards, contributing to the review of transitional agreements, and ensuring that the findings were actively applied to Jisc’s negotiation strategy and the next generation open access (OA) programme.

A key achievement has been the group’s leadership in developing a new licensing approach for community-led, not-for-profit open infrastructure services, grounded in community standards and enhanced due diligence. The aim is build trust in open infrastructures as credible, sustainable alternatives to commercial models, while supporting increased and more coordinated investment across the sector

The equitable licensing oversight group has also been instrumental in embedding participation at the heart of negotiations. Through the incorporation of the ‘How equitable is it?’ framework, the group has influenced both Jisc’s negotiation approach and institutional evaluation, ensuring that equity considerations are consistently applied and operationalised.

Through direct engagement with publishers, the group has enabled frank, informed and forward-looking conversations on key issues including geo-pricing, transparency, and the development of non-article-based business models. This has included shaping discussions with major publishers and providing sector-informed feedback to support the development of more sustainable and inclusive models.

The group has also contributed to international alignment and thought leadership, engaging beyond the UK to inform approaches to equitable participation in research and publishing.

Importantly, the equitable licensing oversight group has helped move the conversation beyond transitional agreements towards a future-focused model of open access, including supporting the development and endorsement of Jisc’s essential infrastructure investment approach and broader next generation OA strategy.

Overall, the group’s work represents a significant achievement in bringing the sector together to shape practical, values-led change, combining strategic insight, sector voice, and tangible impact on negotiations, policy development, and future direction.