Throughout 2025, UK higher education institutions (HEI), in collaboration with Jisc, are negotiating with the five largest academic publishers in the UK: Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, and Sage.
These negotiations are part of Jisc’s Next Generation Open Access (OA) strategy and aim to achieve fair, equitable, sustainable, and affordable agreements that meet the evolving needs of UK universities and the research community.
The total spend of UK HEIs with these five publishers is £112 million per annum. For Royal Holloway, subscribing to these 5 publishing deals in 2025 used 38.4% of Library Services’ Information Resources Budget for 2025/26.
However, the negotiations are not only about reducing costs. According to analysis by Jisc (Jisc 2024 report), the current ‘Transitional Agreement’ model is failing to achieve its intended goal of making 100% of UK publishing output with these publishers Open Access. Based on the current rate of transition to Open Access publishing, it would take at least 70 years for the Big 5 publishers to achieve 100%. It is a requirement of the current negotiation that publishers develop new models that will hasten the transition to Open Access.
For further information on the negotiations and the Next-Gen OA strategy, please visit the Jisc Website, or contact the library.
Timeline taken from Jisc (2025)..
Through Jisc, Royal Holloway is contributing to these negotiations wherever possible. It is in our interests, both financially and ideologically, for there to be a reset of the UK's current open access agreements. The Library’s Information Resources Budget has faced budget constraints and a rise in costs, like much of the sector. The Jisc negotiations focus on financial sustainability and cost reduction, and a more progressive step to open access publishing is key for us as an institution.
The negotiations are being conducted in good faith, to achieve a positive outcome that works for both publishers and the sector. Based on previous parallel situations in other countries, we are preparing for a range of scenarios and outcomes, with the aim of minimising impact on student and academic experience.
Access to content already digitised for reading lists will remain unaffected during negotiations.
Grace arrangements will ensure continued access to subscription content during extended negotiations. In the event of a walkaway scenario, alternative access plans will be in place.
The Library will provide updates on access plans and resources should any agreements not be renewed, for example, post-cancellation access, inter-library loans/document supply services and digital copies for teaching.
When you are considering where to publish:
If you are involved as an editor or work with publishers, please highlight the need to reach a cost-effective solution across the whole of UK HE.
Are you planning to publish with one of the Big 5 included in these negotiations?.
Publisher deals, discounts, and Green OA options will be updated as we become aware of confirmed agreements and processes for articles submitted but not yet published by 31st December 2025.
For Hybrid journals (ones that publish both Open Access and non-Open-Access articles), even if a deal is not reached, you can choose not to pay the Article Processing Charge (APC) and use Green Open Access through our University Research Publications Policy.
When you are publishing in a fully Gold Open Access journal, authors will need to identify a source of funding for the Article Processing Charge. Library Services manages 2 OA funds: the UKRI OA fund for articles that acknowledge a UK research council or Innovate UK, and the REF OA fund for articles that are candidates for submission to the next REF. If these funds are not applicable, authors will need to identify a source of funding for the APC.
Use your voice
Royal Holloway or sector groups may call on teaching and research staff to help strengthen our position during the negotiations. Your insights and experiences are crucial for shaping equitable and sustainable publishing agreements that extend access to research for the whole academic community, making it easier for your students to access the materials they need.
Stick together
The motto 'we are stronger together' rings truest here. Together with Jisc and other UK HEIs, we have the best chance of negotiating a mutually beneficial deal that addresses both financial sustainability and open access publishing. By working together across the UK, we can progress towards a sustainable and equitable solution.
Participate
If you’d like to participate, let us know. Talk to your Teaching and Engagement Librarian or contact the library research team: openaccess@rhul.ac.uk
Advancing open-access publishing is a primary driver of these sector negotiations. The short videos below share the importance of open access to academia.
The Library is here to support you through these negotiations and we are actively participating in the discussions. If you would like further information or have a question, please get in touch with either:
