Plan S and cOAlition S aim to accelerate complete migration to OA
This month, the launch of both Plan S and cOAlition S was announced. The key goal of Plan S is to see all publicly-funded research being published OA by 2020. cOAlitionS, on the other hand, is comprised to date of 11 funding bodies that have all committed to Plan S; the list of funders will grow in the coming months.

SPARC Europe, which has committed to helping support Plan S, recently published on our website, a collection of our reactions to the initiative. 

Read about Plan S, cOAlition S, and SPARC Europe’s response. 

Copyright Update: Newly released Brief outlines concerns over current state of proposed amendments 
Earlier this month, a key vote was taken by the European Parliament on its proposed amendments to the draft Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. Concern for where things currently stand remains among those of us in the academic community who have worked diligently to ensure the interests of academia are considered fully. 

In a newly-created Brief, we outline these concerns, which include an approved measure to formalize efforts to crack down on copyright infringement occurring on internet platforms, and possibly repositories, by requiring that user-generated content be monitored and filtered. 

Download the Brief. 

Global representation grows as SCOSS coalition gains three new members
Over the past month, three substantial new organisations joined SCOSS as members, adding African and North American representation to the coalition. They are: the Association of African Universities (AAU), which represents more than 400 higher education institutions across the five regions of Africa; the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), which represents Canada’s 29 largest university libraries and two federal institutions; and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), which represents 125 research libraries across the US and Canada. All three will occupy seats on the SCOSS Board while also participating in the SCOSS Advisory and Executive groups, helping guide future development of the coalition and participating in the vetting of potential SCOSS funding candidates.

See all of the latest updates on SCOSS.

SCOSS prepares for second funding cycle
Close to a year post-launch, SCOSS has helped draw more than 750,000 Euros in pledged funds for DOAJ and SHERPA/RoMEO, the two services selected for the pilot call for funding. The coalition is now preparing for its second funding cycle by placing a call for a show of interest from OS infrastructure service providers -- potential SCOSS funding recipients.

Potential applicants are requested to fill out a six-question screening form to determine eligibility before ultimately submitting a full application. To aid in the process of identifying potential services that comprise the vital Open Science infrastructure SCOSS is seeking to preserve, we invite you to share the brief form with relevant, non-commercial organisations. For a fuller description of the basic requirements, see the call letter and screening questionnaire.

SPARC Europe and PUBMET 2018 
At last week's 5th annual PUBMET conference in Zadar, openness in the publication of research, together with a cluster of related issues, were the focus. SPARC Europe Director Vanessa Proudman delivered the keynote presentation: "It's time we modify the way we pay for Open infrastructure", touching on the need for new thinking around the issue of sustainability of the Open ecosystem and highlighting efforts like SCOSS as well as other new initiatives. 

Download her presentation in full.

Watch: documentary film, "Paywall: The Business of Scholarship"
A documentary film shining a light on the realities of modern-day academic publishing, of profit margins and paywalls and their impact on research and society, has just been released. The feature-length film, titled Paywall, is being screened at well over a hundred locations internationally. It is also freely available and registered under a CC BY 4.0 license, meaning it can be shared and adapted as long as the creators are credited. We encourage you to consider screening the film at your university, or locally, to spread even greater awareness of the importance of OA.

Find out more about the film and watch it online: www.paywallthemovie.com.