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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><a name="_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">After a decade of open access agreements, the focus of the research community is extending beyond execution
to what scholarly publishing is expected to deliver and how to shape system-level outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The
<b>18th Berlin Open Access Conference (B18)</b> will convene senior leaders from research institutions, library consortia, and funding bodies alongside major publishers to address a central question:
<b>What must change now to realign scholarly publishing with the interests of the research community?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Building on years of negotiating and implementing open publishing agreements, B18 will move
beyond incremental progress to focus on:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Accountability and transparency</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
– assessing pricing and performance against stated commitments, using shared data
<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">AI and publishing models</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
– implications for cost, licensing, and control of scholarly content <o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The evolution of open access agreements</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
– clarifying the value of publishing services and aligning costs with that value
<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Scalable alternatives and coordinated investment</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
– advancing collective approaches to open publishing <o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Publishing ethics, research integrity and trust</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
– reinforcing expectations for quality and transparency across the system <o:p></o:p></span></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The conference will combine direct engagement with publishers and closed strategic coordination
among negotiators, with the aim of strengthening alignment and advancing system-level change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">B18 is a targeted, invitation-based meeting focused on those shaping agreements and policy.
Participation is limited to ensure productive exchange at the highest level and broad geographic representation across the OA Forward community. Further updates will be published on the B18 webpage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">15–17 September 2026<br>
Harnack House, Berlin<br>
</span></span><a href="https://oa2020.org/b18-conference/"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">https://oa2020.org/b18-conference/</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">B18 is organized by
</span></span><a href="https://oa2020.org/2026/04/08/international-partners-launch-oa-forward-to-strengthen-open-access-negotiations-and-advance-open-scholarly-communication/"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">OA
Forward</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk227231511"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><img border="0" width="191" height="151" style="width:1.9861in;height:1.5694in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01DCCDA5.4C50BD90"></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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