7 institutional benefits to implementing an Open Access policy

Open Access logo web_smallThese seven points were shared at a joint SPARC Europe LIBER workshop this summer in Riga. They were developed as part of my programme management work for SPARC Europe. SPARC Europe advocates change in scholarly communications for the benefits of researchers and society; it mainly focuses on supporting Europe’s university libraries in this aim. SPARC Europe is a non-profit membership organisation currently representing members from over 20 countries.

In the light of the dynamic local, national and international Open Access policy demands from governments and funders alike (including Horizon 2020), institutions are increasingly seeking to introduce or further develop local Open Access policies to support their research communities. Knowing how to target your message to senior management will help them prick up their ears to the need for an Open Access policy now.


These arguments can support you and your library when discussing an Open Access Policy with your institutional management.

Pin-point the priorities and concerns of your stakeholder and then select the benefits that hold up for them.

  1. Systematically contribute to the greater worldwide visibility of your researchers, their groups, centres, departments, helping to increase their international reach and impact.
  2. With a greater web presence, help increase your institution’s ranking position.
  3. Contribute to the faster innovative and economic growth of your region and country by providing access to results to other smaller research institutions, SMEs and other industry innovators.
  4. Stimulate new research partnerships and project collaborations, and generate further research income for your institution.
  5. Making your institution’s knowledge Open Access means increasing its value by being more accessible and used by professionals, practitioners, business and industry.
  6. Increase the social impact and reputation of your institution through greater visibility of research results through more channels.
  7. Demonstrate your institutional commitment to Open Access and Open Science in no uncertain terms.Sparc_Europe_Round_Small-150x113

For more on how SPARC Europe can support you and your library in making more of your institutions’ results Open Access, see here.

If you have more benefits or arguments that have worked for you in persuading your decision-makers to introduce an OA mandate, please share them in the comments box below.