Understanding Open Access publishing costs at EPFL
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Academic publishing has been progressively shifting from traditional subscription-based models to Open Access, placing increasing financial pressure on libraries and researchers. To better understand how Open Access publishing costs have evolved and are distributed across our institution, the EPFL Library conducted an extensive study. The results are now openly available on a dedicated webpage. Take a look and join the conversation about the future of scholarly publishing!
In recent years, there has been a significant transformation in the academic publishing landscape, shifting from traditional subscription-based models to Open Access (OA) publishing. This change is affecting both the dissemination of research and the distribution of costs associated with scientific literature. Currently, subscription-based and OA models coexist, but the financial burden is shifting from paying to read to paying to publish in the form of article processing charges (APC) and related fees. While the move towards Gold OA and the growth of 'Read & Publish' agreements has widened access to scientific literature, it has also placed greater financial strain on libraries and researchers.
Understanding how OA costs have evolved and are distributed across our institution can help improve transparency and ensure the long-term sustainability of OA scholarly publishing. To this end, the EPFL Library conducted an extensive study. The results are now openly shared on a dedicated webpage, providing greater insight into the institution’s total publication spending.
The Library manages an expanding portfolio of OA contracts with various publishers (see https://go.epfl.ch/OAsupport). In 2024, the publishing component of Read & Publish agreements totalled CHF 1.49 million, covering 646 OA articles. Additionally, agreements with Gold and Diamond OA publishers totalled around CHF 114,000, which was co-funded by the Library and swissuniversities. Beyond these centrally managed costs, EPFL laboratories cover the OA fees for journals not included in institutional agreements from their own budgets. Although the exact figure is unknown (“costs in the wild”), laboratory spending in 2024 is estimated at around CHF 743,000.
If you're interested in exploring the full picture, the dedicated webpage offers further insights into the funding sources and financial flows behind OA publishing, as well as the evolution of OA models and publishing trends across the most active publishers at EPFL. We invite you to take a look and join the conversation within the EPFL community - your engagement can help to shape the future of scholarly publishing and to support a fair and sustainable way towards openness.