Knowledge Unlatched to open up its central platform for the funding of Open Access models.

Berlin, 5th October 2017 Knowledge Unlatched (KU) is pleased to announce its transformation into a central Open Access (OA) platform. Through this platform, KU will support publishers and OA initiatives by managing the funding processes for their OA models. It will also provide libraries and funders all over the world with one central place where they can support OA programmes. Knowledge Unlatched’s core product, KU Select, will remain an important part of the platform, and will be including STEM alongside HSS titles in 2018.

This transformation into an industry-wide, publisher-neutral platform builds on the success of our collaboration with the linguistics initiative, Language Science Press. KU offers both the necessary expertise and the international network of leading libraries to make OA work. By managing sales outreach, marketing, discoverability, finance, and administration, alongside the vital raising of funds, KU can make sure partners efficiently achieve real success with their OA programmes. For libraries, decision making and acquisition processes will also be much more streamlined.

KU is pleased to announce five new international partners for 2018: Luminos (University of California Press), OpenEdition, HAU Books, OAPEN, and The Open Commons of Phenomenology. In Q1 2018, the first OA models from these partners will become publically accessible on the platform. KU is very much looking forward to their part in realising the true potential of these partners in the coming years.

“We are delighted to partner with KU to increase our outreach capabilities to libraries worldwide wishing to support open access publishing through the Luminos library membership programme,” Erich van Rijn, Interim Director of University of California Press

“We believe that it is time to help libraries support Open Access in a more systematic way, and KU is supporting this with one central platform that unites different models for different kinds of content,” says Dr. Sven Fund, Managing Director of Knowledge Unlatched. “KU as a central mechanism in funding open access is open for new partners from around the world.”

"OpenEdition is pleased to partner with KU. Open science must rely on innovative, ethical, and sustainable funding models, like those which KU is developing.” Marin Dacos, Director of OpenEdition.

About Knowledge Unlatched:

Knowledge Unlatched (KU) offers free access to scholarly content for every reader across the world. Our online platform provides libraries worldwide with a central place to support Open Access models from leading publishing houses and new OA initiatives.

Contact: Hannah Schroder, Publicity & Communications, hannah@knowledgeunlatched.org

Read or download the PDF versions of this press release in English or German.