28 August 2024
A follow-up to SPARC Europe’s Project Retain. Enabling the dissemination of Knowledge has recently been approved by the advocacy programme Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21). KR21 works to bring about changes in legislation and practice across Europe that will strengthen the right of all to access and apply knowledge for the benefit of research, science and society at large. The Retain II project focuses on studying institutional policies in a far wider range of countries in Europe than in the previous project, aiming to promote rights retention. ‘Rights retention’ refers to the rights to publish, share, adapt, and reuse material for research, educational, or multilingual needs. This enables researchers to share their work openly within an appropriate and supportive institutional legal framework where feasible.
We will examine rights retention policies across 10 European countries through in-depth case studies, analysing how these policies differ by jurisdiction and affect author-publisher relationships. Our approach involves collaborating closely with KR21 national coordinators from these countries leveraging their expertise and experience to ensure accuracy and to bring them with us on our journey of change. We will highlight both individual institutions’ policies and broader efforts by coalitions to seek policy reform.
Simultaneously, we will launch a comprehensive outreach strategy to encourage the uptake of institutional rights retention policies. This includes developing key resources and best practices that will empower institutions and authors with the tools to implement effective rights retention strategies, boosting open access and supporting academics. Educational campaigns, webinars, and a new European Rights Retention Community of Practice will foster collaboration among policymakers, authors, and universities, and further drive and support the implementation of rights retention policies across Europe.