Location: Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger St, London WC1N 2JU

Date: 27 September 2017

Time: 10:00 – 16:30

It has long been recognised that the move to Open Access could represent a threat to the financial sustainability of UK learned societies, many of whom are highly dependent on revenues from publishing. Societies face pressures from a range of other sources, including ageing membership profiles, rising pension liabilities and volatile foreign currency markets, among others.

Recognising the importance of societies to the research ecosystem, the Universities UK Open Access Co-ordination Group commissioned work to track the financial health of a sample of 30 UK learned societies over the last five years. Preliminary findings indicate that societies’ publishing revenues are continuing to rise, but margins are being progressively squeezed. Almost half of the sampled societies reported a loss in 2015, up from only six in 2011.

Hosted by the Royal Society of Biology, this event is an opportunity for representatives of learned societies, from all disciplines, to engage with, and comment on, the study’s interim findings, and help shape the final report. Participants will hear from the study’s authors and leading society figures, and will be able to share their own perspectives on the challenges facing UK societies in an Open Access future.

Apply for a place

As we wish to ensure that a good diversity of organisations and disciplines present we invite you to first apply for a place by Monday 28 August at: https://www.rsb.org.uk/events/event_1947

Approximately 60 places are available free of charge.  We will be allocating places to ensure a good spread of disciplines at the meeting and will contact all applicants on Tuesday 29 August about the outcome of their application.

Categories: open access, Society