European universities reclaim academic ownership of the scholarly communication system
A brief entitled "Reclaiming academic ownership of the scholarly communication system: Challenges and opportunities for universities" was published by the European University Association (EUA) in early June. The paper describes the current state of the scholarly communication system, the main factors influencing it and the major challenges facing academia. However, the paper also identifies opportunities for universities to play a pivotal role in transforming the system and shaping a more positive future for scholarly communication. Indeed, the active involvement of universities and other institutional partners is a key prerequisite for fair scholarly publishing that is transparent, affordable, sustainable and, above all, under the control of research communities.
“The promise of science as a global public asset is undermined by a publishing system that is neither equitable nor financially sustainable.”
Reclaiming academic ownership of the scholarly communication system
The role of University Presses
The debate on the sustainability of the current system of scientific communication is gradually gaining momentum across Europe. Thanks to initiatives such as Plan S, a consensus has already been reached that the results of science and research funded by the public should be made available in open access. However, the current model for open access is based on paying large sums for APCs, and is controlled by a small number of large commercial publishers. This is financially unsustainable, non-transparent and unfair, particularly for scientists and institutions with limited budgets.
The European University Association stands alongside other European and global institutions that are calling for a change in the system, thereby returning control of scholarly communication to the academic community and directing attention towards institutional publishers. The reason for this is that they meet the needs of scientists (not shareholders), their activities are focused on fulfilling their mission (not generating profits), and their emphasis is on quality, inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability.
For over 15 years, Masaryk University Press has been a leading example of sustainable institutional publishing. We offer top-level support for university open access journals and manage platforms for open access journals and books that are held up as examples of good practice abroad. We stand prepared to contribute to the transformation of the scholarly communication system in the Czech Republic, and we have the necessary experience to do so.