Today, KAUST celebrates its 10th anniversary of championing open access. By removing paywalls, KAUST ensures its research reaches a wider audience, fosters collaboration and accelerates scientific progress. This commitment to knowledge dissemination has positioned KAUST as a frontrunner in the Middle East and a respected voice in the global scientific community, aligning with the University's mission to address global challenges through scientific advancements.

KAUST Open Access Policy
With the signing of its open access policy in June 2014, KAUST embarked on a journey to make it easier for people around the world to access and read articles, conference papers, and other research produced by KAUST researchers. The deposit of publications covered by the policy led to the steady growth of the KAUST Research Repository, which also contains a wealth of openly accessible theses, dissertations, datasets, and other scholarly outputs. This fosters global access to KAUST's intellectual contributions, maximizing their reach and impact.

Paving the Path for Sustainable Open Access: Transformative Agreements
The success of the open access policy was followed by University efforts to support our researchers’ ability to publish open access directly in scientific journals. The University actively negotiates transformative agreements with publishers to ensure cost-effective and sustainable open access and to address a key concern for researchers worldwide.

10-Year Highlights 

Looking Ahead: A Brighter Future for Open Science
KAUST's commitment to open access remains steadfast. The University continues to advocate for open scholarly communication, working with partners to create a more equitable and accessible scientific landscape. As KAUST embarks on the next decade of its open-access policy, its leadership is paving the way for a brighter future of scientific discovery, benefiting researchers and society. 

For inquiries, please contact us at library@kaust.edu.sa.

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