Open publishing has expanded access to research and prompted structural improvements throughout the scholarly communication system. At the same time, the landscape continues to evolve in response to new technologies, financial pressures, and expectations of transparency, academic sovereignty, and publishing integrity.

OA Forward helps the research community better understand these changes, align around common principles, and engage collectively with emerging challenges and opportunities. Our work builds on the foundations established through the Berlin Open Access process, OA2020, and ESAC while addressing the broader questions and developments shaping scholarly communication.

These include how investments in scholarly communication are directed, how publishing systems can become more transparent and trustworthy, how academic rights and researcher agency are safeguarded, and how scholarly communication systems can be shaped to better support the changing needs of research communities while ensuring they remain sustainable over time. The growing maturity and international reach of open publishing negotiations have also created new opportunities for institutions to strengthen community infrastructure, improve transparency around publishing costs and processes, and support more open, participatory, and innovative approaches to scholarly communication.