RFP

Request for Proposals: National / EU Initiatives October 2023 – June 2024

advocacy • copyright advocacy • eBooks • European Research Area • innovation • open licensing • open norms • rfp • rights retention • secondary publishing rights • TPMs

Want to help pave the way towards 21st-century access to research, education, and culture? We need you! Submit your proposal for a national or EU initiative to make this ambition a reality, and become part of the Knowledge Rights 21 programme and its growing network.

Copyright reform advocacy builds on dedicated individuals investing their time, energy, and expertise to the ensure the interests and rights of learners, researchers, educators, innovators, and readers are well-represented. However, to truly make a mark, generate awareness, recruit champions, and influence discussions, an extra push is often required. That’s where our grants for national initiatives come in. These projects, aligned with the KR21 Programme’s goals, aim to produce impactful outputs and drive policy changes that wouldn’t be achievable without our funding.

Bids are welcome up to €40 000 (inclusive of VAT where appropriate). However, value for money will be considered as part of the review process – bids for less therefore are welcome. Multi-country bids may apply for more money.

We expect your written offer by 12:00pm CET (Amsterdam Time) on 5 November 2023, but bids will be assessed as they are received. Send in your proposal now to: info@knowledgerights21.org.

Please download the full request for proposals (RFP) here and see some details below.

Key themes for work include: 

  • facilitating access to and lending of eBooks; 
  • overcoming the challenges that contract override and technological protection measures pose to the enjoyment of copyright exceptions and limitations;
  • the promotion of more flexible approaches to copyright (open norms);
  • promoting the uptake of rights retention and open licensing policies;
  • promoting legislated secondary (parallel) publishing rights;
  • barriers to the functioning of the European Research Area (cross-border research) and the role of copyright in the development of digital public infrastructures;
  • the contribution of innovation in publicly funded institutions to wider innovation; and,
  • other topics where it is possible to make a compelling case for relevance to the Programme’s work; see the Key Objectives page of the KR21 website for more details.

Within these themes, we welcome activities such as those outlined below, but of course we encourage you to use your imagination:

  • Events that advance understanding and consensus around issues related to the KR21 Programme;
  • Targeted research and evidence gathering that can be used to provide effective support for advocacy using an economic, competition or copyright law approach; and,
  • Engagement and events with policy makers.

Timeline: we would expect activities to be completed by June 2024, but would welcome earlier completion.

We look forward to receiving your ambitious project ideas to help us unlock access to knowledge!