What is Open Access Week?
International Open Access Week was founded in 2008 by SPARC and student collaborators. Organizers describe the week as:
...an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research. - About Open Access Week
2025 Theme
The theme for this year is "Who Owns our Knowledge?"
“Who Owns Our Knowledge?” is the theme for this year’s International Open Access Week (October 20-26). The 2025 theme asks a pointed question about the present moment and how, in a time of disruption, communities can reassert control over the knowledge they produce. It also challenges us to reflect on not only who has access to education and research but on how knowledge is created and shared, where it has come from, and whose voices are recognized and valued. - Read more about this year's theme.
