Utah State University (USU) Libraries has announced the start of a new funding round for its Open Access (OA) Funding Initiative on July 1, 2024. The initiative will provide financial support to students and faculty to cover article processing charges (APCs) for publishing in academic journals.
Open access is essential for maximizing the reach and impact of USU research, fostering global collaboration, and accelerating innovation. By removing subscription barriers, OA publishing ensures that research is freely available to the academic community and the public.
APCs, which replace traditional subscription fees, are required by many OA journals as a condition of publication. However, these fees can be prohibitively expensive for authors. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the average APC listed on USU Libraries' award applications was over $2,500, with the highest reaching $5,780.
In the past fiscal year, USU Libraries supported over 70 faculty authors and 60 student authors in covering APCs for OA publication. Award amounts ranged from $400 to $1,500 and were matched by college, department, or grant funds.
The new funding round is open to USU-affiliated applicants. Award amounts are capped at 50% of an APC, up to a maximum of $1,500, and must be matched by other funding sources. Awards will be distributed on a rolling basis until all funds are depleted.
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