Contributions of open access to higher education in Europe and vice versa.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the relationship between open access and academic institutions, as well as the initiatives that spring from this relationship with a mainly European geographical focus. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the main European initiatives and collaborations in the area of open access that have been university-driven so far. Findings - The strength of many universities is in leading many national European initiatives, and collaborations by universities that aim to provide open access to research output, scientific publications and student theses and dissertations. Individual university efforts are the ones that pioneer in software and application development. International agreements and declarations are also signed by university representatives in order to promote open access and the close bond between higher education and open access. Originality/value - The paper describes the latest developments regarding the promotion of open access in European universities and the collaborations that they form. Smaller countries can benefit from these examples. E-theses projects are estimated to lead the next pan-European projects related to open access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]