As the global transition to open access continues, OA2020 has launched a collaborative effort to examine how financial flows in scholarly publishing can be realigned to support equitable and transparent open dissemination.
Despite substantial funds circulating within the scholarly communication ecosystem, these resources remain largely structured around paywalled and subscription-based models. Institutions are working to redirect investments toward open access, while publishers are reassessing business models to sustain quality services and transition away from subscription systems.
To address these structural challenges, the OA2020 Working Group on Financial Flows and Cost Modeling is collecting data on current financial flows and publishing patterns. The group aims to model how these systems might function in a fully open access environment. Its work includes detailed analyses of regional participation, application of equitable pricing frameworks, and collaboration with publishers sharing anonymized data. The objective is to assess how cost distributions could be aligned more equitably with research output and global participation.
The initiative was introduced at the 17th Berlin Open Access Conference (B17), reflecting a broader commitment to realigning investments in scholarly publishing around open access principles. Later in 2026, the working group plans to openly disseminate a synthesis of its findings, providing evidence-based insights to guide the next phase of the global transition. These findings are also expected to inform discussions at the 18th Berlin Open Access Conference (B18), where equitable investment in open access publishing will be a central focus.
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