The European University Association (EUA) has just released a powerful and timely report:
“Reclaiming academic ownership of the scholarly communication system” (June 2025).
This briefing offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of scholarly publishing, highlighting the growing tensions between for-profit publishing models and core academic values such as equity, transparency, sustainability, and institutional autonomy.
Some key takeaways:
- The academic publishing system remains heavily dominated by a handful of for-profit actors, with escalating costs and limited community control.
- APCs have skyrocketed, creating significant barriers for equitable participation.
- The “publish or perish” culture continues to distort research practices and assessment.
- Despite the promises of Open Access, most models remain financially inaccessible or reliant on pay-to-publish schemes.
The report clearly identifies Diamond Open Access as one of the promising path forward: a model that is free for both authors and readers, and which is built and governed by the scholarly community itself.
It highlights the creation of the European Diamond Capacity Hub as a key step in strengthening the Diamond OA ecosystem across Europe. It also calls for coordinated support from universities, funders, and policymakers to ensure its long-term sustainability.
This report is highly relevant to our mission as it aligns with our goals of supporting community-led, not-for-profit scholarly communication infrastructures and helping institutions transition toward more equitable and open systems.
Read the full report here and share your thoughts below 