Routes to open access: fully open access agreements

Subscribe to Open (S2O)

As open access via subscribe to open depends on participation by enough institutions to reach a subscription target, agreements must also include a compliant green option for funded authors.

Open access community framework

The open access community framework (OACF) was launched in 2022 as a new approach to supporting publishers or initiatives operating under the diamond open access (OA) model – open access publishing with no subscription or author facing fee – which is a competitive and sustainable alternative to the book processing charge (BPC) model.

We are currently reviewing the open access community framework with the intention of opening it up for a new round of applications for 2026.

Other community-based agreements

Our agreements based on a collective action/supporter membership model enable institutions to support the running costs of infrastructure and disciplinary tools, investing in new open access platforms and initiatives for the benefit of the whole scholarly community.

Open access monograph agreements

To support the UKRI open access policy requirements for longform publications, we have negotiated a growing number of agreements in which members can participate.

We seek equitable, inclusive, fair and affordable agreements with academic book publishers. Negotiation of agreements with smaller academic led presses, independent publishers and aggregators will be prioritised. These agreements will create an alternative to the book processing charge (BPC) model, which is expensive and not scalable.