SAGE Publishing and the University of California announce a transformative agreement to expand reach of UC research - June 7, 2022

 This post is a press release issued by the University of California and SAGE Publishing. LOS ANGELES, CA (June 7, 2022) — SAGE Publishing and the University of California (UC) announce an agreement to expand open access publishing opportunities for researchers at all 10 UC campuses. Running through 2024, the agreement will provide funding for UC researchers to make their SAGE research articles free and openly available to the world. SAGE is one of the largest publishers of UC research in the social sciences and humanities.   “This agreement advances UC’s goal to accelerate the shift to a more open, fair, […]

UC’s protocols.io pilot extended for two additional years - 6/1/2022

 

UC’s protocols.io pilot extended for two additional years

By John Chodacki on Jun 01, 2022 10:18 am

Three years ago, University of California launched a pilot with protocols.io, bringing unlimited Premium accounts to all 10 UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL). Today, we are happy to announce an extension for an additional two years – through May 31, 2024.  Pilot extension As we seek to advance open access and open research on several fronts, the University of California continues to support ways to unlock the underlying methods and protocols used in lab experiments. “Our Premium account enables an unlimited number of individuals and groups to use the platform for private methods,” explains Anneliese Taylor, […]

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Publish Your Book OA -Office of Scholarly Communications - University of California - March 1, 2022

Publish Your Book OA: Open Access books are a relatively new phenomenon, but interest in publishing them has been growing in recent years, and many publishers now offer open access publication options for books.  This page answers a set of frequently asked questions by UC faculty about open access book publishing and provides links to resources to help you find an appropriate publisher for your book, as well as some more fundamental information about funding, copyright, academic credit, and peer review. 

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Combinatorial Theory Publishes First Issue! - eScholarship and California Digital Library - 12/15/2021

 The eScholarship Publishing program at the University of California is delighted to announce the publication of the first issue of Combinatorial Theory, a new open access journal focused on mathematical research in Combinatorics, with applications throughout the mathematical, computational and natural sciences. As described by its editors, Combinatorial Theory is “owned by mathematicians, dedicated to Diamond Open Access publishing with no fees for authors or readers, and committed to an inclusive view of the vibrant worldwide community in Combinatorics.” Combinatorial Theory was founded in September 2020, when most of the editorial board for one of the oldest and most prestigious […]

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15th BERLIN OPEN ACCESS CONFERENCE ADAPT AND ADVANCE - Sept.28-Oct.1, 2021 - Plenary Presentations, Posters, Outcome Summaries

 15th BERLIN OPEN ACCESS CONFERENCE

ADAPT AND ADVANCE

September 28 – October 01, 2021
Co-Hosted by the University of California and the Max Planck Society’s Open Access 2020 Initiative

Stakeholders and decision-makers in research and scholarly communication from 46 countries came together at the 15th Berlin Open Access Conference (B15) to reflect on their progress in transforming the current subscription-based system of scholarly journal publishing to a system based on open dissemination of research results for the benefit of science and society. 

In recent years, institutions and national consortia globally have successfully negotiated transformative agreements (TAs) with a range of publishers to (1) empower authors to grant free and universal access to their peer-reviewed research while retaining their copyright, and (2) empower institutions to integrate, rationalize and rein in their financial investments in scholarly publishing. 

Reflecting on insights shared by panelists from Australia, Colombia, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Nepal, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, the B15 cohort discussed current challenges and highlighted opportunities for further adapting, improving and advancing their transformative negotiation strategies to foster a scholarly publishing system that is open, sustainable and equitable.

Key insights affirmed at B15

Open access to scholarly journals is essential for progress in science and society. 
Open access is advancing thanks to transformative agreements. 
Negotiations with scholarly journal publishers are a pathway to openness and equity. 
Open access publishing must be enabled under equitable economic conditions. 
Increasing transparency of funding flows and reorganizing just a tiny share of investments can have immeasurable impact.
Further open access developments require bold new partnerships. 
Scholarly publishers are embracing open access. 
Mature open access strategies include different synergistic approaches.

The enormous progress made in open access, since the cohort of the last (14th) Berlin Open Access Conference first affirmed transformative agreements as a viable pathway, is the result of the individual and collective efforts of librarians, scholars and scientists, consortium leaders, university rectors/presidents, and research funders who utilized their agency to drive positive change.

Individuals and organizations can find a summary of key insights emerging from B15 and opportunities for action to advance transformative agreements that drive openness, sustainability and equity in scholarly publishing in the B15 Executive Summary.

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UC Irvine alumnus wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry - October 6, 2021

 

 

UCI alumnus wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry David MacMillan is one of two awarded for work with molecule-building catalysts   David W.C. MacMillan, who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at UCI has been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in developing better catalysts for converting and building molecules. MacMillan, now the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, shares the prize with Benjamin List from the Max Planck Institute in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany. MacMillan was advised through the course of his graduate studies at UCI by Larry Overman, Distinguished Professor emeritus of chemistry. The Nobel Prize winner has another connection to UCI: While at UC Berkeley and later at Caltech, he was Ph.D. advisor to Vy Dong, UCI professor of chemistry. Metallic and enzyme-based catalysts are important tools in chemistry, playing a role in energy production and storage, the treatment of diseases and the removal of harmful molecules from the environment. In 2000, MacMillan and List, working independently from one another, developed a third approach, called asymmetric organocatalysis, which works with small organic molecules that are less environmentally harmful and are inexpensive to produce. “The award of this year’s Chemistry Prize to List and MacMillan will be broadly welcomed by the chemistry community,” Overman said. “The organocatalytic chemical synthesis methods developed by David MacMillan are used every day around the world in the discovery and development of new medicines. What sets Dave apart is his remarkable creativity and vision. These attributes, together with his delightful personality, were apparent early in his graduate studies at UCI.” MacMillan was an inaugural inductee of the UCI School of Physical Sciences Alumni Hall of Fame. If you are wondering what asymmetric organocatalysis is, and why it’s important, read UCI Chemistry's commentary piece.

UC secures landmark open access deal with world’s largest scientific publisher - March 16, 2021

UC secures landmark open access deal with world’s largest scientific publisher: UC secures landmark open access deal with world’s largest scientific publisher

"The University of California today (March 16) announced a pioneering open access agreement with the world’s largest scientific publisher, Elsevier, making significantly more of the University’s research available to people worldwide — immediately and at no cost. The deal will put more UC research into the hands of individuals across the globe at a time when international collaboration to fight COVID-19 has illuminated the value of open access to scientific findings.

The agreement is the largest of its kind in North America to date, bringing together UC, which generates nearly 10 percent of all U.S. research output, and Elsevier, which disseminates about 17 percent of journal articles produced by UC faculty. The deal will double the number of articles made available through UC’s transformative open access agreements.

“This groundbreaking agreement will allow for more open, equitable access to information,” said UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “As more universities and research institutions support open access, scientific knowledge will advance at an unparalleled pace.”

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"Under the four-year deal, all research with a UC lead author published in Elsevier’s extensive portfolio of hybrid and open access journals will be open access by default. It is the first such agreement to include open access publishing in the entire Cell Press and Lancet families of journals, which are considered among the world’s most prestigious scientific and medical titles. University researchers will also be able to read articles published in Elsevier journals."

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