Published: Project Retrospective: Transform2Open - Cost Monitoring, Criteria, Competencies, and Processes of the Open Access Transformation

From early 2023 to mid-2026, the Transform2Open project developed strategies and measures to shape the open access transformation, particularly at German universities and non-university research institutions. A strong focus was placed on institutional cost monitoring for scholarly publishing, the organizational consolidation of library budgets and other funding sources, the development of a catalog of criteria as a negotiating tool for transformative journal agreements, the process optimization of open access workflows in libraries, the creation of financial transparency in the open access transformation, and the development of competency profiles in academic libraries. During the project’s duration, various workshops, presentations, and numerous interviews with experts from the open access community took place. By the time of its completion in mid-2026, the Transform2Open project will have established a robust foundation for the criteria, competencies, and processes of the open access transformation. Comprehensive documentation enables the future application of the project results: The findings were disseminated through training sessions and informational events to promote their use within the community. Through permanently accessible resources, guides, publications, and presentations from the project, the insights are made available in the long term and can be reused by the community.

Ferguson, L. M., Höhnow, T., Kostädt, P., Mittermaier, B., Schön, M., Shelly, J., Pampel, H., & Vleugel, M. (2026). Project Retrospective: Transform2Open - Cost Monitoring, Criteria, Competencies, and Processes of the Open Access Transformation. Transform2Open. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20732183