UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) asked Alma Economics to carry out an independent review of the economic implications of Open Access (OA). Under UKRI’s new OA policy all UKRI-funded research output will be published Open Access. The report will be used alongside the results of the OA Review’s consultation and other Review activities to inform UKRI’s new OA policy.

To address the research objectives, we adopted a mixed-methods approach that comprised a desk-based review, engagement with key groups of stakeholders, as well as quantitative data analysis and modelling. We developed a comprehensive model to provide detailed estimates of the impact of the new OA policy on publishers, universities, and funding bodies under different policy scenarios. Combining different data sources with qualitative information gathered during our interviews with universities, publishers, funders, and researchers, we estimated the costs of publishing OA. To this end, we estimated additional OA expenditures under the new OA policy using an econometric model to predict publication fees based on journals’ CiteScore and academic subject area.

We then compared the costs with the benefits of OA. Our model focuses specifically on quantifying two key benefits: the efficiency gains throughout the research process due to the lower costs of OA publishing models, and the additional social returns to investment in R&D as knowledge in OA-published research forms the basis of further research or real-world applications across the public and private sector as well as universities.

➥ Our report is available on UKRI’s website.