This JISC news release may be of interest to list members. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Obrien [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 24 October 2011 10:46
Subject: News Release: How can universities support economic growth and innovation? Take the open road

News Release

24 October 2011

How can universities support economic growth and innovation?  Take the open road

JISC welcomes the UK Open Access Implementation Group's (OAIG) reports and new repositories resource pack <http://bit.ly/nq4Q5i> released today.

The Benefits to the Private Sector of Open Access to Higher Education and Scholarly Research report <http://bit.ly/nzP0hn> and the Open Access Fees Report <http://bit.ly/oXkgxg>, show the outcomes of research into the benefits of open access to commercial companies and findings from a consultation on the practicalities of paying for open access publication. 

Taken together, these present a major step towards releasing UK research to underpin the nation's prospects for growth both now, via direct innovation, and into the future, via a more efficient and effective research infrastructure.

Professor Martin Hall vice-chancellor at the University of Salford and chair of the OAIG says, "The report 'Benefits to the Private Sector of Open Access to Higher Education and Scholarly Research' shows how commercial companies would benefit from reduced costs, less time wasting, and shortened development cycles by having greater access to UK research outputs.

"It shows how UK universities can make a direct impact, and much needed contribution to business growth and sustainability, by making their research outputs more easily discoverable and translated into the language recognised by businesses as relevant to them."

The evidence suggests that these benefits would flow across a wide range of sectors of the UK knowledge economy, and supports previous research which estimated benefits in the order of £100m per year.

Neil Jacobs, JISC programme manager for JISC's digital infrastructure says, "There is certainly work to do to translate academic research into innovation and growth, for example in promoting research expertise and providing trusted and skilled brokerage services. JISC through its business and community engagement programme is providing some of the tools and methods for this to happen, but without open access to the research findings themselves, this work cannot be fully effective."

Open access requires action by universities, funders and publishers to work together to make this happen.  The OAIG has commissioned JISC Collections to produce the 'Open Access Fees Report' which consulted with these groups and other organisations on the arrangements whereby payment is made for open access publication. 

Professor Martin Hall, OAIG chair, notes that, "During this consultation process there was a lot of agreement that open access journal publishing is making an important contribution, both to widening access to UK research, and to the success of UK publishers.  However, there is still practical work to do to smooth the way for researchers, universities, funders and publishers.  

"The ways forward identified in this report are both practical and the product of consensus.  The UK Open Access Implementation Group will continue to press for expanded access to UK research, to meet our nation's need for innovation and growth based on a strong public science base."

A new repositories resource pack <http://bit.ly/nq4Q5i> is also being launched today to help universities take immediate action to support wider access to UK research, by ensuring that as much of their research output as possible is made openly available via their institutional repository.  The resource pack brings together all the information and guidance that UK universities might need in taking the policy decisions and practical steps for this to happen.  

William Nixon, digital library development manager at the University of Glasgow and co-ordinator of the resource pack, explains, "The resource pack gives the solutions to barriers which the OAIG have identified in setting up, managing and maintaining a repository as well as an institutional publication policy. This resource can also give senior managers and leaders within universities enough detail to influence and engage the rest of their teams in making these decisions."
 
Members of the OAIG have agreed a 2012 strategy <http://bit.ly/pPjyYc> to help implement the recommendations from these reports and build on the past 12 months of its work. 

This strategy includes: 
.	increasing the numbers of universities with policies supporting open access
.	better compliance with funders' OA policies 
.	commissioning work to monitor progress, and so chart the UK's moves toward a better system for communicating  
        research, supporting our researchers, knowledge workers and entrepreneurs. 

Read more about the UK open access implement group at http://open-access.org.uk/
View JISC's work on open access at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/openaccess
Find out more about JISC Collections at http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/