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The UMass Amherst Libraries are now accepting applications for the Supporting Open Access Research (SOAR) Fund. The deadline for the first round of applications is Oct. 6; second round applications are due April 19, 2024.

This year, Nandita Mani, dean of UMass Amherst Libraries, increased the fund by $700 to $25,000 based on historical use and current trends in scholarly publishing, making the 2023-24 maximum award $1,900.

The SOAR Fund was established by the libraries in 2014 to support open access (OA) publication of journal articles, books, and book chapters in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Faculty, staff, and students who are the corresponding author of an open access publication listed above are invited to apply for funding to cover their publisher’s author processing charge (APC). 

The libraries are committed to open scholarship. Over the 2023 academic year, 16 awards were granted to authors representing 14 departments. A bibliography provides links to funded works since SOAR’s inception.

For full details on eligibility requirements, award determination criteria and the application form, please visit the SOAR Fund guide.