A new award has been created to highlight the potential of open access to broaden the reach of Brock research and transform scholarly publishing.

Launched in advance of International Open Access Week, the Brock University Award for Open Access recognizes a Brock community member who is a champion of freely sharing scholarship with audiences around the globe.

In addition to enhancing public access to publicly-funded research, open access benefits both individual researchers and their institutions by promoting higher citation counts, increased community impact and enhanced opportunities for collaboration.

“The benefits of open access for research dissemination are huge,” said University Librarian Mark Robertson. “We’re excited to host an award that recognizes the important role that Brock researchers play in championing open access in this changing landscape.”

Open to Brock University faculty, librarians, staff and students, the $2,500 award may be used to either pay an article processing charge for an open access journal or to support a non-profit platform for open scholarship.

Open Access, which refers to scholarly digital content that is free to the end user, is a dramatic evolution in how scholarship is disseminated. For centuries, published research has only been available to institutions or individuals who can afford to pay costly fees to access subscription journals.

“Open access opens up knowledge to everyone,” said Elizabeth Yates, Liaison/Scholarly Communication Librarian. “We want to honour those at Brock who are helping shape a more sustainable and democratic system of scholarly communication.”

Applications including a nomination statement and supporting documentation, must be submitted online by Oct. 13 at noon. A winner will be announced during Open Access Week, Oct. 23 to 27.