SPARC Europe’s pioneering initiative, Project Retain, has received a powerful follow-up with the launch of the Rights Retention Project Retain II. This ambitious project, recently approved by the Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21) advocacy program, aims to broaden the scope of rights retention policies across Europe, empowering researchers to openly share their work for the benefit of research, science, and society at large.
KR21, known for its efforts to enact legislative and practical changes across Europe, is at the forefront of this initiative, working to enhance the right of all to access and apply knowledge. Retain II takes the foundation laid by its predecessor and expands it significantly, focusing on institutional policies in a far wider range of European countries than before.
Rights retention, a cornerstone of open access, refers to the rights to publish, share, adapt, and reuse scholarly material. This project seeks to ensure that researchers can disseminate their work openly within supportive institutional frameworks. Retain II will conduct in-depth case studies across 10 European countries, analyzing how rights retention policies differ by jurisdiction and how these policies impact the relationships between authors and publishers.
The project’s approach is highly collaborative, involving close work with KR21 national coordinators. These coordinators bring invaluable expertise and experience, ensuring that the project’s findings are both accurate and actionable. Retain II will not only highlight the policies of individual institutions but also focus on broader coalition efforts aimed at policy reform.
In conjunction with its research, Retain II will roll out a comprehensive outreach strategy designed to promote the adoption of institutional rights retention policies across Europe. This strategy includes the development of key resources and best practices to help institutions and authors implement effective rights retention strategies. By boosting open access, the project aims to support academics in making their work more widely available.
Educational campaigns, webinars, and the creation of a new European Rights Retention Community of Practice will play crucial roles in fostering collaboration among policymakers, authors, and universities. These initiatives will further drive the implementation of rights retention policies, ensuring that the momentum for change continues to grow.
As Retain II begins its work, the project’s leaders are committed to providing new insights and data as they become available. In the meantime, those interested in learning more about rights retention can explore the Rights Retention Helper, a key output from the original Project Retain, offering valuable guidance and tools for those looking to engage with this important issue.
The launch of Retain II marks a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to strengthen knowledge sharing across Europe, reinforcing the right of researchers to disseminate their work openly and contributing to the broader goals of open access and academic freedom.
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