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University of Groningen Library
University of Groningen Library Open access Funding, deals and discounts

Open access book fund for UG and UMCG authors

OA book fund

The University of Groningen has introduced an open access book fund. UG- and UMCG-affiliated authors can apply for funding the publication of their monograph or edited volume.

The fund ran out in September 2023. The continuation of the fund is conditional on funding renewal by the UG/UMCG.

If you have any questions about the fund, please email us at openaccess rug.nl.

Eligibility criteria and application process

Maximum reimbursement per application

The maximum reimbursement is €8,000 (incl. VAT) per book. The amount reimbursed for edited volumes is proportional to the number of UG editors involved (e.g. if there are four co-editors, of which one is from the UG, we will fund 25% of the BPC up to a max. of €8,000). 

Eligible publications

Monographs and edited volumes. Book chapters are not eligible. Books that have been published recently are eligible for retroactive reimbursement (i.e. fees for flipping closed access books to open access retrospectively). Please note that permission to flip a book to open access has to be cleared with the publisher first. The University Library will decide on a case-by-case basis whether requests for retroactive reimbursement are eligible. 

Eligibility criteria for authors

Author(s) and/or editor(s) have to be affiliated with the UG or the UMCG.

NB: For authors funded by external funders (e.g. NWO, EU) the first point of call for funding should be their funder. Authors are therefore strongly encouraged to budget for open access costs in their grant applications and/or make use of the available funder schemes (e.g. NWO’s OA Book Fund). If funding for open access is not available in the grant budget or if the grant has ended, authors are encouraged to apply. In case the funding provided by the external funder is insufficient, authors can apply for the OA Book Fund to cover the remainder of the BPC. The University Library will decide on a case-by-case basis whether the request is eligible. 

Publisher requirements

Publishers should ideally meet the basic requirements set by the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB). In addition to meeting the DOAB criteria, publishers are (strongly) encouraged to assign a DOI to the publication and deposit it in the OAPEN-Library to enhance its discoverability. The University Library will check whether these criteria are met. If the requirements cannot be fully met, authors are invited to still contact the University Library to discuss the publisher's eligibility.

Copyright and license requirements

Books must be published under a Creative Commons license. The authors shall retain copyright to the publication.

Application process

To request funding, please complete the OA Book Fund application form. Ideally this should be done while you are negotiating the contract with a publisher. Applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria described above and will be evaluated on a rolling basis by a committee composed of open access and publishing experts from the University Library. The committee reserves the right to consult faculties and institute directors in case of doubt about the eligibility of a request. 

Support

The University Library team is here to help and advise you with regard to book contract negotiations. If you have any questions and require assistance, please indicate this in the application form or simply contact us at openaccess rug.nl or openaccess umcg.nl.

Do you have questions about copyright? Please contact  copyright rug.nl

What others say

Prof. Michiel van der Wolf, Associate Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Groningen

Michiel

"I am very happy with the fact that the UG thinks open access is important and that they have introduced a dedicated fund. Given how expensive publishing a book open access is, it would not be possible otherwise. Therefore, I am thankful to be the first author whose book has been funded by the open access book fund. I thought it was a very easy process and the communication was excellent. I recommend it to anyone who would like to get their book out to a bigger audience."

Dr Marjan Counihan, Lecturer at the University College Groningen

Marian Counihan (photo: Nienke Maat)
Marian Counihan (photo: Nienke Maat)

“The open access book fund financed a good portion of the open access fee (BPC) and the cover design. This certainly helped the publishing process. [...] It was a pleasant collaboration, with a short turnaround and clear agreements. Overall, it was a smooth and professional process throughout”.

Last modified:18 September 2023 09.09 a.m.