IReL to Commence Strategic Planning Process  – IReL IReL is a consortium of Irish research libraries, providing access to licensed e-resources, OA publishing agreements, and open science infrastructure.

We're delighted to be working with @irelibrary.bsky.social to support the development of their five-year strategic plan. Over the next few months, we'll be engaging with stakeholders across Ireland's research and higher education sector to discuss IReL's direction and opportunities from 2027 onwards

Rob Johnson, Managing Director attending the UKSG Conference in Glasgow from today.

Good morning from Glasgow! The @uksg.bsky.social 2026 conference is officially underway.

@rschrobuk.bsky.social is attending, and looking forward to hearing fresh perspectives from across the research community. If fancy a quick conversation between sessions, feel free to connect.

Rob Johnson, Managing Director, attending the UKSG Conference in Glasgow from 30 March.

Next week, @rschrobuk.bsky.social will be attending the @uksg.bsky.social Annual Conference in Glasgow. Feel free to message him if you would like to connect during the event!

Cover of the Knowledge Exchange report Charting New Paths: The Promise of Alternative Publishing Practices

How can alternative publishing practices become established as the new standard?@knowledgeexchange.bsky.social & @researchconsulting.bsky.social have explored this & similar questions in our new report Charting New Paths: The Promise of Alternative Publishing Practices. 

doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

This is an excellent read/listen - @isaliba.bsky.social, part of Scholars At Risk, is an Academic Freedom Consultant as well as his other affiliations and projects. This forms the foundation for another to follow with lessons learned on how we can better protect researchers. PLEASE READ/LISTEN/SHARE

Our "Networking for Imposters" #UKSG2026 session with @becky-hill.bsky.social & @hannahcrago.bsky.social is for anyone who's ever walked into a conference and immediately looked for the exit.
🗓 Mon 30 March, 4pm & Wed 1 April, 10am

uksg.org/events/conference26/

#Networking #ImposterSyndrome

We have a splendid list of candidates standing for election as a Trustee this year - thank you to all of them! If you are a voter, please look out for the email! Candidate details here: dub.sh/sjRhVcz

We’ve published the latest edition of Research Consulting Insights, our quarterly roundup of developments across the research ecosystem.

This issue explores the changing landscape of knowledge exchange and the latest instalment of our Meet the Team series.

Read the full issue here: buff.ly/5NOUiYK

Why metascience matters A story of India’s misplaced investment priorities in R&D

MISDIRECTION - a story about India's choice to spend the equivalent of its research budget on subscription costs to commercial publishers. Some public institutions don't have reliable internet - meaning many academics can't access the articles
researchonresearchinstitute.substack.com/p/why-metasc...

We’re at Olympia for the London Book Fair 2026 today.

Find @rschrobuk.bsky.social and @dylanstoran.bsky.social for a chat about publishing and scholarly communication - send them a message to arrange a meet up!

Countdown is on - just 9 days left to register for #UKSG2026. Everyone can learn something from the programme and everyone can benefit from the unique opportunity to build relationships with people across the information community. Register now! www.uksg.org/events/confe...
@uksg.bsky.social

Research systems are under pressure from multiple directions at once. Knowledge exchange, research infrastructure, open access, global participation - these aren't separate trends. To find out more sign up for our next newsletter, incoming next week: www.research-consulting.com/newsletter/

The Research to Reader Conference kicks off today! @rschrobuk.bsky.social is attending today and tomorrow, joining discussions on research, publishing and scholarly communication.

We are looking forward to great conversations - do get in touch with Rob if you would like to connect during the event.

From price to principles - Research Information Francesca Brazzorotto of Karger Publishers explains why open access agreements are no longer just about access

Are OA agreements just procurement with better optics or instruments of cultural change? Rich discussion in Research Information featuring our MD @rschrobuk.bsky.social with @jisc.bsky.social, @zbmed.bsky.social & Karger on participation, integrity & what "value" really means now.

Heading to @r2rconf.bsky.social on 24–25 February? So is our colleague @rschrobuk.bsky.social! Come find us for a chat about scholarly communication and research publishing, or get in touch with Rob to schedule a catch-up during the event.

So long, and thanks for all the Researchfish - LSE Impact Rob Johnson reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it.

👀ICYMI: "We’re losing one of the few sources of comparable cross-funder data just as we’re building up the capability to analyse and interpret it."

@rschrobuk.bsky.social #Metascience #ResearchFunding #ResearchFish

So long, and thanks for all the Researchfish - LSE Impact Rob Johnson reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it.

💥New | @rschrobuk.bsky.social reflects on the demise of a platform that united the UK research community in one thing: complaining about it.

#ResearchFish #AcademicSky #ResearchFunding

Three Pillars, One Mission: What Medical Research Charities Need to Thrive Reflections from the Medical Research Charity Showcase The House of Commons Terrace Pavilion provided a striking backdrop for Tuesday's AMRC Parliamentary Showcase - a gathering that brought together ...

Three Pillars, One Mission: What Medical Research Charities Need to Thrive. Here are my reflections from Tuesday's @amrc-uk.bsky.social Charity Showcase at the House of Commons.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-...

It’s great to be in the room as Caroline Sutton announces the release of STM’s latest report on research integrity.

It was a pleasure to support the STM Research Integrity Committee in painting a picture of publisher efforts in this fast-evolving area.

s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/stm.offloadm...

REF 2029 Is Back on Track: Key Announcements from the UK's Research Leaders Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, and Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, set out the future direction for UK research assessment and funding at UUK...

Check out my summary of this morning's announcements from Prof Jessica Corner and Sir Patrick Vallance on #REF2029 www.linkedin.com/pulse/ref-20...

The #REF2029 weightings are now confirmed, with 55% for contributions to knowledge and understanding, PCE renamed strategy, people and research environment reduced to 20%, and 25% for engagement and impact

Our colleague @rschrobuk.bsky.social is at BMA House, London, for the @stmassoc.bsky.social Innovator Fair. If you’re there, too, come and say hello or message Rob to meet up!

#stminlondon #ResearchIntegrity

Unlocking the Power of Community: Reflections on the UKSG Forum 2025 When budgets are constrained, community becomes the essential resource. Yesterday I spent the day in Brighton for the UKSG Forum, one of my favourite events in the scholarly communications calendar.

If you missed yesterday's #UKSGForum2025 in Brighton then fear not, I have pulled together some of the highlights in the post below!
www.linkedin.com/pulse/unlock...

What does good look like in AI adoption for a university? Great overview at #UKSGForum2025 from @mark-h-cymru.bsky.social

Great to be in Brighton for #UKSGForum2025 today!

Thanks for the summary Andrew, I was sorry to miss this event. The fact collaboration is slowing in the UK is no surprise but it’s always valuable to have evidence to back up these points. With universities under so much financial pressure I doubt we’ll see material improvement any time soon.

A really insightful launch of @ncub.bsky.social State of the Relationship report today.

The CNRS is breaking free from the Web of Science From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases, Clarivate Analytics'

From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases, Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science, along with the Core Collection and Journal Citation Reports.

The @uksg.bsky.social Forum 2025 is happening on 3 December at The Brighton Centre, bringing together librarians, publishers & info professionals. Free for UKSG members | Still time to register! uksg.org/events/forum2025/
#UKSGForum2025 #ScholarlyComms #AcademicLibraries

#fbf25 #artificialintelligence #researchfunding #scholarlycommunication #highereducation #researchintegrity #academicpublishing | Rob Johnson | 18 comments Like many in my network, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how AI will change society and, in my case, academic research. At times I lean towards AI being just another platform shift. At othe...

Have a look at my post here, including some of the links in the comments: www.linkedin.com/posts/robjoh...