The Library's Gold Open Access Fund: 10 Years of Development
© 2026 EPFL
In 2026, the EPFL Library is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Gold Open Access Fund, which has been supporting the EPFL researchers in publishing in Gold Open Access since 2016.
Initially intended solely to fund articles, the fund was later expanded to cover all forms of Gold Open Access publications, in order to better reflect the diverse publishing practices among EPFL’s research fields.
Over ten years, the Library has supported 533 publications, for a total amount of approximately CHF 900,000. While articles account for nearly 95% of the funding (508 articles), the fund has also covered 11 books, 3 book chapters, 7 conference papers, 2 conference proceedings, and 2 data papers.
After a steady increase in the number of applications up to 2021, the use of the fund has stabilized. This trend reflects the emergence of other Open Access support mechanisms, such as the many Read & Publish agreements negotiated for the EPFL community by the Library.
In practice
The fund is exclusively intended for publications in fully Open Access journals, books, or conference proceedings.
To ensure fair access to this financial support, currently the Library reimburses two-thirds of APCs costs, up to a maximum of CHF 2,500 per publication. Reimbursements are limited to two publications per laboratory per year. Applications for support should be sent to the Library’s Scientific Publishing Support team ([email protected]).
More information on financial support for Open Access: go.epfl.ch/OAsupport