Thanks to the commitment and energy of our members in 2025, AEUP continues to grow as a vibrant community that supports university presses across Europe in a rapidly evolving scholarly publishing landscape.

Highlights from the year

One of the key moments of the year was the 4th AEUP Conference, “Sustaining the Flow: Keeping the Pages Turning in Scholarly Publishing,” hosted by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. The conference demonstrated that sustainability in scholarly publishing goes far beyond finances. Through keynote talks, panels, and workshops, we explored shared infrastructures, community-driven practices, policy alignment, accessibility, cultural perspectives, and long-term visions for Open Access – especially Diamond OA.

The conference also marked the official launch of several AEUP Working Groups, creating new spaces for collaboration on topics such as quality assurance and accessibility.

Beyond our own events, AEUP was actively represented at major conferences and initiatives across Europe. We continued to engage with projects such as DIAMAS and CRAFT-OA, which delivered concrete results for the community, including tools, plugins, metadata standards, and the development of the European Diamond Capacity Hub and a growing network of national Diamond OA capacity centres.

Strengthening collaboration and infrastructure

A major strategic effort this year was the preparation of the AEUP-related UPLIFT COST Action proposal. UPLIFT aims to empower university presses – especially smaller and Diamond OA-focused ones – by addressing technical, structural, and financial barriers through collaboration, shared infrastructures, and skill-building across Europe. Regardless of the final outcome, the proposal itself has already strengthened ties within our network and clarified shared priorities.

Looking ahead

As we move into the new year, we look forward to working closely with our members: sharing knowledge, supporting innovation, and ensuring that university presses are recognised as essential actors in a fair, sustainable, and diverse scholarly communication ecosystem.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, ideas, and enthusiasm over the past year. We look forward to continuing this journey together.