News UK collaboration to accelerate global open access
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Wellcome and Jisc, the not-for-profit research and education technology provider, are among the first organisations supporting the establishment of Open Access Switchboard.
It’s an independent body that will help
the research community transition to full and immediate open access and simplify efforts to make open access (OA) the predominant model of publication of research. Led by the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), the OA Switchboard is a not-for-profit collaboration between funders, institutions, consortia and publishers to provide essential infrastructure, standards and back office services. The OA Switchboard will support information sharing as well as help reduce barriers to the OA market. It aims to allow funders, publishers and institutions to streamline their communications, improve transparency of data collection and storage, and reduce costs. UKRI, Wellcome and Jisc are all
represented on OA Switchboard’s board of directors.
Rachel Bruce, UKRI’s head of open research, said: ‘We are delighted to
Hannah Hope, OA project manager
at Wellcome Trust, said: ‘We believe the OA Switchboard has the potential to streamline the management of open access publishing for all parties. We look forward to working with Jisc and UK institutions to incorporate the OA Switchboard into Wellcome’s OA reporting processes.’ And Yvonne Campfens, executive
form this partnership to enable shared infrastructure, bringing transparency, efficiency and cost effectiveness to the OA ecosystem. ‘The OA Switchboard has the
potential to enable a breakthrough in the transformation to open access, supporting it as a predominant model of research publication.’ Liam Earney, Jisc’s executive director of digital resources, added: ‘This working relationship underscores Jisc’s commitment to driving a sustainable and equitable transition to OA. Crucially, it will enable institutions to have clearer, automated reporting of OA publications, and it will help foster the inclusion of more publishers in the transition to OA, regardless of size or business model.’
Interdisciplinary research community launched by Jisc
Jisc has announced the launch of a digital research community to explore how technology and innovation can help improve current research practices. The organisation says
the new support for leading research will have global impact, by cutting across disciplines, mission groups and geography, and is a direct result of Jisc’s new research strategy which aims to increase wider engagement with research and alignment with the needs of the sector. Researchers, research
leaders, research managers and other professionals in the field, such as developers, software engineers, library and IT staff, can all join the community. Victoria Moody, Jisc’s research strategy lead at
Jisc, explained: ‘We are excited to launch this digital research community group, which will support the sector to respond to new policies that affect research such as the recent UK Government’s Research and Development Roadmap, National Data Strategy, UKRI’s Corporate Plan, and the announcement of a new research funding agency. The community will provide a safe space for professionals active in the research process to assess technology solutions that can enhance research excellence and efficiency, as well as the culture, skills and processes to achieve these objectives.’ The group met for the first time online in December, and will meet quarterly, led by a community council of 18 research experts.
28 Research Information February/March 2021 Helen Clare, senior
e-infrastructure strategy manager, said: ‘Policy and technology are both changing so quickly that bringing together the community is the most effective way to respond to these changes, learn from one another and influence the research agenda. We’ll be bringing together different parts of the research community to share and show best practice to shape the future of research.’ Anne Boddington, visiting
professor at Birmingham City University, and REF 2021 sub- panel chair for art and design, said: ‘I’m optimistic about the potential of this group and look forward to playing a part in shaping collective action for the advancement of research and research careers. I’m particularly interested in how
director of the OA Switchboard, added: ‘Other industries have tackled similar problems successfully a long time ago, which gives me confidence that we can apply this to the OA ecosystem. However, to address challenging topics around communication and data across different stakeholder groups, and to implement a cost-effective collaborative infrastructure solution, transparency is key, and an independent neutral intermediary is indispensable.’ The newly-founded OA Switchboard
became operational on 1 January. Jisc is working with the OA Switchboard to explore how UK institutions can best benefit from the shared data and infrastructure this service will provide. Institutions are encouraged to get involved by contacting Yvonne Campfens, project manager.
we can best create equitable access and agree core competencies for researchers, including those currently not recognised and rewarded, but that may support a more generous, inclusive research sector.’ The collective wisdom of the community will be shared with the wider world through various forms of communication. The first output from the group is a webinar, which will present priorities and potential activities for the community.
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