Wiley and the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) have signed a new agreement to expand open access publishing opportunities across participating institutions in the United States. The agreement, which runs through December 31, 2027, provides researchers at BTAA universities and affiliated campuses with full read access to Wiley’s journal portfolio and the ability to publish open access in Wiley’s hybrid journals. A dedicated allocation is also included for articles accepted in Wiley’s gold open access journals.
The agreement applies to corresponding authors at 16 flagship BTAA universities and 19 affiliated campuses across 11 states. It builds on a pilot initiative launched in 2022, which significantly increased open access publishing within the consortium. Since the pilot began, BTAA researchers have published thousands of open access articles, resulting in measurable growth in visibility and compliance with institutional and funder requirements. Reported outcomes include:
• Year-over-year growth of 235% in open access publications, rising from fewer than 900 to more than 3,000 articles in the first year.
• Open access output representing 93% of BTAA publications, compared with 28% before the agreement.
• Cost savings of $41.1 million in potential article publication charges for eligible researchers.
• Increased usage from developing nations, with a 74% compound annual growth rate.
Kathryn Sharples, Wiley’s Vice President for Publishing Strategy and Policy, stated that the collaboration ensures researchers at BTAA institutions have accessible pathways to publish their work openly, reducing barriers and enhancing the impact of their findings. Kate McCready, Program Director for Open Publishing at BTAA, noted that the agreement supports the consortium’s goal of making high-quality research more widely available to scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and communities worldwide.
The BTAA is recognized as a leading higher education consortium, with member universities contributing a substantial share of U.S. academic research output. Wiley has established more than 125 similar agreements with consortia globally, including JISC in the United Kingdom, the German DEAL consortium, CAUL in Australia and New Zealand, and several U.S. library consortia. These agreements reflect ongoing efforts to expand access to peer-reviewed research and strengthen the infrastructure supporting open scholarship.
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