Frequently Asked Questions
What is BRII?
The Berkeley Research Impact Initiative (BRII) supports faculty members who want to make their journal articles free to all readers immediately upon publication. Originally established as a pilot program on January 21 2008, BRII subsidizes, in various degrees, fees charged to authors who select open access or paid access publication. The program also yields data that can be used to gauge faculty interest in — as well as the budgetary impacts of — these new modes of scholarly communication on the Berkeley campus.
Why is this program needed?
To provide support to new and emerging publisher options that both enhance the impact of Berkeley authors' research and show promise in helping research institutions create affordable and sustainable models for scholarly communication. BRII will also provide an opportunity for researchers to try new publishing models.
What charges does this cover?
This initiative covers publication charges for open access journals such as PLoS, BioMedCentral, PhysMathCentral, and others (capped at $3000 per article). It covers paid access charges for non-OA journals (capped at $1500 per article). Due to restricted funds, any given author is limited to $4500 in BRII funds each year.
Why does this initiative provide a smaller reimbursement for open charges associated with non-OA journals and larger reimbursement for publishing in OA journals?
Although articles are freely available for reading in both instances, articles in OA journals are free of restrictions on re-use while non-OA journals normally limit your right to redistribute, to make derivative copies (including translations), or to use for educational purposes. These restrictions limit the value of the open option to the scholarly community in the longer term.
Who is funding this program?
Seed funding for BRII came from Library and Vice Chancellor for Research discretionary accounts.
In terms of non-OA journals, does this mean the Library is paying twice for the publications? Both through subscription to the journal and in subsidizing the article?
Not really. Non-OA journal subscription costs cover a full range of non-open content. The highest percentage of open content reported thus far in a non-OA journal is 20%. Some of the publishers have agreed in principle to provide rebates to Libraries in direct proportion to the percentage of their faculty who take advantage of the paid access option.
Are other institutions engaging in this activity?
Yes. Similar programs are now in place at Harvard University, the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, University of Calgary, Lund University, University of Tennessee, University of Oregon, University of Nottingham. The Open Access Directory wiki includes a comprehensive list of institutions providing OA support
Who is eligible to apply?
Any UCB faculty, post-doc, or currently enrolled graduate student ready to submit a completed article for publication.
Any criteria for articles or publications?
- Articles must be made freely available at the time of initial publication. No embargo periods.
- Articles may be published in any open access publication or hybrid journal offering a paid access option.
How do I apply?
Application information and materials are available at the BRII website.