Leveraging a Transformative Agreement to Incentivize Funder Spend - The Scholarly Kitchen

Press releases announcing a new transformative agreement between a publisher and a library or library consortium hardly cause any notice these days. But, while read-and-publish agreements abound and have quickly settled into a predictable structure, the recently announced agreement between SAGE Publishing and UNC-Chapel Hill represents an interesting innovation. The agreement converts subscription spend to open access support at a cost-neutral level for the University Libraries but then combines that agreement with mechanisms for funder engagement as well as a “rebate” model that increases the value of funder spend for the University Libraries. Can a library/publisher agreement attract funder spend?