11 Open Access Publishing Fund (OAPF)

The Open Access Publishing Fund (OAPF) provides at least $30,000 per year to researchers at U of I to publish in Open Access journals. Over the last three years, the OAPF has funded over $145,000, resulting in publication of 99 fully Open Access journal articles, supporting over 170 authors and researchers across six colleges.

This annual fund is administered and directed by the Library and funded by the Library, the Provost’s Office, and the Office for Research and Economic Development. While Open Access journals by definition provide their journal content free of charge, these journals frequently pass the publishing costs along to authors through article processing charges (APC). The OAPF awards grants of up to $2,000 to cover these costs on a first come first serve basis, with several eligibility requirements that must be met.

Supporting Open Access models of publication demonstrates that U of I embraces equity of access, which is a catalyst for increased impact and visibility throughout the state, nation, and beyond. ^[1]