Starting out with usage data collected by OpenAIRE from repositories, the Open Research Analytics service expands on the existing KU Open Analytics software as a reporting layer. Integrated repositories benefit from improved insights into the COUNTER-compliant usage data and benchmarking against alternative hosting platforms. Data produced by OpenAIRE and OpenAPC will be freely available via its APIs.

Additionally, the agreement articulates the following objectives:

• The development of a public roadmap;
• Collaborate on an international membership model; 
• Increase the number of OpenAIRE compliant Institutional Repositories;
• Support on-going improvements of the KU Open Analytics and OpenAIRE technical infrastructure.

Natalia Manola from OpenAIRE mentions: "We are looking forward to cooperating with innovative approaches for analytics based on an Open Metrics Infrastructure model. We welcome KU's initiative as a robust and stable usage statistics service to promote the next generation Institutional Repositories.We hope that this will be one of many to come, not only for Europe, but also for the international scientific community".

"We believe that analytics are key to further accelerate Open Access. The collaboration with OpenAIRE enables us to improve global access to such information" says Max Mosterd from Knowledge Unlatched.

Over the next months, product improvements will be made of both parties, as well as preparations for the upcoming membership model for the Open Research Analytics Service. The expected launch of the service is early next year.

Read the full MoU.

About Knowledge Unlatched (KU): KU offers every reader worldwide free access to scholarly content. The online platform enables libraries worldwide to centralize their support for Open Access models from leading publishers and new initiatives in favour of Open Access.

Athens/Berlin, September 12^th, 2019