UUK/Jisc content negotiation strategy group
A group focusing on setting strategy for major journal and open access negotiations both during this transitionary period and post transition.
About the strategy group
The UUK and Jisc content negotiation strategy group supports and enhances the mandate of Jisc in negotiating publishing agreements with major academic publishers.
Membership of the group recognises the importance of involving senior leaders from UK institutions in order to achieve sustainable, affordable and innovative agreements.
The group focuses on setting objectives and strategy for the major negotiations concerning research materials in the broader context of teaching, learning and research.
Recognising the importance of the agreements in terms of expenditure, volume of UK research output published in these journal portfolios, the policy landscape and their complicated role in the transition to open access.
It also considers strategy around alternative and innovative models for achieving full and immediate open access beyond the current "Big Deals".
The initial focus will be journals with the expansion into research materials in the longer term. The group will set overarching messages and strategies which will guide the work of the content expert group.
The group will escalate national matters of broader importance and impact to government.
Strategy group members
The UUK/Jisc content negotiation strategy group members includes:
- Chair: Professor Stephen Decent, principal and vice-chancellor, Glasgow Caledonian University (Band 6)
- Dr Paul Ayris, pro-vice-provost (UCL library services), University College London (Band 1)
- Simon Bains (Representing SHEDL), university librarian, University of Aberdeen (Band 5A)
- Chris Banks, director of library services, Imperial College London (Band 1)
- Rachel Bruce (Observer member), head of open research, UKRI
- Dr Colin Campbell (Representing AHUA), executive director of academic affairs, Newcastle University (Band 3)
- Veronica Daly (Representing BUFDG), chief procurement officer, Kings College London (Band 2)
- Adrian Ellison, associate pro-vice chancellor, CIO and director of digital futures, University of West London (Band 7)
- Professor Sue Hartley, vice-president for research, University of Sheffield (Band 2)
- Libby Homer, university librarian, Anglia Ruskin University (Band 5A)
- Jennifer Johnson (Representing ARMA), director, innovation and research, University of Northumbria
- Liz Jolly (Observer member), chief librarian, British Library
- Dr David Prosser, executive director, RLUK
- Professor Richard Reece, deputy vice chancellor (education and student experience), University of Kent (Band 5A)
- Monique Ritchie (Representing copyright negotiating and advisory committee (CNAC))
Associate head of open research and rights, Brunel University (Band 5B) - Ann Rossiter, executive director, SCONUL
- Daniel Wake, research policy, University UK
Terms of reference
Core aims
- Develop the sector’s strategic objectives for negotiations, ensuring they align with and advance institutional, sector and government priorities and policies in research and education.
- Set negotiation strategy and provide leadership to put the sector in the best possible position to achieve its objectives
- Govern the negotiations, and act as the conduit between negotiators and the sector for the agreement, communication, oversight and reporting of negotiations
- To share insight and expertise, supporting collaboration across the sector and internationally to respond to common challenges and to collectively realise shared aims
- Facilitate debate and action within the sector to help implement solutions to challenges in the acquisition and dissemination of digital content to foster a vibrant and well-functioning research, learning and teaching ecosystem. This includes providing and soliciting evidence and expertise to inform policy development
- To guide the work of the content expert groups
- Develop the sector’s strategic objectives for negotiations, ensuring they align with and advance institutional, sector and government priorities and policies in research and education.
- Set negotiation strategy and provide leadership to put the sector in the best possible position to achieve its objectives
- Govern the negotiations, and act as the conduit between negotiators and the sector for the agreement, communication, oversight and reporting of negotiations
- To share insight and expertise, supporting collaboration across the sector and internationally to respond to common challenges and to collectively realise shared aims
- Facilitate debate and action within the sector to help implement solutions to challenges in the acquisition and dissemination of digital content to foster a vibrant and well-functioning research, learning and teaching ecosystem. This includes providing and soliciting evidence and expertise to inform policy development
- To guide the work of the content expert groups
Membership
There will be 12 representative members as follows:
- Six pro-vice-chancellors for research from a cross section of institutions
- Six pro-vice-chancellors for learning and teaching/education from a cross section of institutions
- Four library directors from a cross section of institutions
There will be eight members from professional organisations as follows:
- Universities UK
- Executive directors/chairs of professional associations – RLUK, SCONUL, ARMA, BUFDG, AHUA, CNAC
- Chair of content expert group (research)
- Chair of content expert group (learning and teaching)
In addition, there will be three observer members as follows:
- Funder body (for example, Wellcome Trust, UKRI), British Library and GuildHE
- Mission Group
The term of office for representative members is two years with the possibility of an additional term of up to three years upon the expiry of the first term.
The chairs of the expert groups do not have a term of office but will be members of this group by virtue of holding that role.
Members from professional organisations and observer members do not have a formal term of office but these roles will be reviewed annually by Jisc and the chair to consider whether there is the right representation of organisations and roles.
There will be 12 representative members as follows:
- Six pro-vice-chancellors for research from a cross section of institutions
- Six pro-vice-chancellors for learning and teaching/education from a cross section of institutions
- Four library directors from a cross section of institutions
There will be eight members from professional organisations as follows:
- Universities UK
- Executive directors/chairs of professional associations – RLUK, SCONUL, ARMA, BUFDG, AHUA, CNAC
- Chair of content expert group (research)
- Chair of content expert group (learning and teaching)
In addition, there will be three observer members as follows:
- Funder body (for example, Wellcome Trust, UKRI), British Library and GuildHE
- Mission Group
The term of office for representative members is two years with the possibility of an additional term of up to three years upon the expiry of the first term.
The chairs of the expert groups do not have a term of office but will be members of this group by virtue of holding that role.
Members from professional organisations and observer members do not have a formal term of office but these roles will be reviewed annually by Jisc and the chair to consider whether there is the right representation of organisations and roles.
Recruitment
Recruitment should ensure that the group is representative of all UK universities and the diversity of size, income, approaches, ambitions, strategies, students, researchers and staff etc contained within those institutions. The membership should have wide geographical coverage.
When a vacancy for an observer member arises, the relevant organisation will be invited to provide details of their observer who will join the group.
When recruitment is considered, it is considered against the representation of institutions on the two content expert groups ensuring a diversity of representation across the three groups.
The two year term of office can be extended by an additional term of up to three years. This would be considered if the member wishes to extend their term and be determined the by chair of the group, UUK and Jisc. The decision would take into account whether the member has normally been able to attend meetings and ensure that terms of office ended at different times to prevent a large change in membership at any one time.
Recruitment should ensure that the group is representative of all UK universities and the diversity of size, income, approaches, ambitions, strategies, students, researchers and staff etc contained within those institutions. The membership should have wide geographical coverage.
When a vacancy for an observer member arises, the relevant organisation will be invited to provide details of their observer who will join the group.
When recruitment is considered, it is considered against the representation of institutions on the two content expert groups ensuring a diversity of representation across the three groups.
The two year term of office can be extended by an additional term of up to three years. This would be considered if the member wishes to extend their term and be determined the by chair of the group, UUK and Jisc. The decision would take into account whether the member has normally been able to attend meetings and ensure that terms of office ended at different times to prevent a large change in membership at any one time.
Meetings and administration
There will be three meetings per year.
Meetings will take place between meetings of the Jisc content expert groups, in order to allow the discussion at the content expert groups to feed into this groups deliberations.
The papers will be shared with the content expert groups.
The group will decide what information about their work can be shared with the organisations that they represent, their institutions and other colleagues such as professional groups with whom they have links and would normally be open within the sector about non-confidential matters.
Where there is strategic benefit in sharing confidential papers or their content with sector groups this will be advised when papers are distributed. In this situation the papers and their content remain confidential in the sense they may not be shared further by those they are shared with and those who receive them should be informed of this.
Detailed strategy and tactics and sensitive confidential information remain confidential to this group and the content expert groups.
There will be three meetings per year.
Meetings will take place between meetings of the Jisc content expert groups, in order to allow the discussion at the content expert groups to feed into this groups deliberations.
The papers will be shared with the content expert groups.
The group will decide what information about their work can be shared with the organisations that they represent, their institutions and other colleagues such as professional groups with whom they have links and would normally be open within the sector about non-confidential matters.
Where there is strategic benefit in sharing confidential papers or their content with sector groups this will be advised when papers are distributed. In this situation the papers and their content remain confidential in the sense they may not be shared further by those they are shared with and those who receive them should be informed of this.
Detailed strategy and tactics and sensitive confidential information remain confidential to this group and the content expert groups.