‘Platinum’ agreement makes open access sustainable

Deal between publisher and libraries cuts through complexities of policy and pricing, says Claudia Heidrich

The ultimate goal of open access publishing is to make society fairer by making research available to everyone. No matter who or where you are, you should have access to new discoveries. Realising that vision would transform the global academic landscape. 

But as well as a long-term argument in favour of openness, inclusivity is a challenge in the here and now. Developing a publishing model that supports the myriad structures, interests and preconditions seen in different countries and demanded by different funders, while also supporting an open future, is a sizeable task.