Universities in Australia and New Zealand are uniting in a cross-sector initiative to negotiate open access publishing agreements with major academic publishers. Spearheaded by the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), Universities Australia, and Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara, the joint effort aims to secure more sustainable and transparent deals starting January 2026.
The unified position targets negotiations with Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis. With growing concern over rising open access publishing costs and institutional budget pressures, the sector is seeking new agreements that are more sustainable, transparent, and equitable, and that provide better value for public investment in research.
A newly formed academic advisory group, comprising senior university leaders and librarians, will oversee the process and ensure alignment with evolving institutional needs.
The effort is part of a wider strategy to reform scholarly communication and maximize the societal impact of research.
The initiative emphasizes the importance of collaboration and the responsibility of universities to ensure their research remains freely accessible. By negotiating collectively, the sector seeks to strengthen its influence and establish a more equitable framework for open access in the region.
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