18 December 2024
Since its launch in 2021, the Knowledge Rights 21 Programme (KR21) has been focussed on reforming legislation and practices to ensure open access to research, education, and cultural resources in the digital age.
Their mission is to level the playing field between researchers, institutions, and publishers by building confidence and capacity for policy change, and collaborate with European and international library organizations (IFLA, LIBER, and SPARC Europe) along with independent experts and a network of national coordinators.
This crucial work has been made possible by Arcadia. Arcadia helps people to record cultural heritage, to conserve and restore nature, and to promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002, Arcadia has awarded more than $1.2 billion to organizations around the world.
During the first phase of Knowledge Rights 21, there has been significant progress, including:
- Bringing research into the spotlight on the political agenda in Brussels.
- Supporting proposals for dedicated legislation and promoting the idea of a “fifth freedom” – the freedom of movement of knowledge.
- Helping pass best-practice reforms at the national level through the work of KR21 national coordinators.
- Publishing ground-breaking research on critical issues like secondary publishing rights, rights retention and open licensing, and flexibility in copyright laws for research.
- Developing and mobilising networks of researchers, librarians, digital rights activists and more at national level.
Accelerating Change: Focus for the Next Five Years
With the very welcome announcement of Arcadia’s continued support, the second phase of the Knowledge Rights 21 Programme priorities include:
- Leveraging opportunities for positive reform under the new European Commission and Parliament.
- Promoting national legislation, regulation and practices that enable and support the work of European researchers, educators, learners, readers and the libraries that support them.
- Expanding and strengthening national networks to amplify the voice for change.
- Ensuring that the research, education and reading community and the libraries that support them are best able to realise the potential of any reforms passed as well as take the lead in promoting openness and local policy change.