This University Press Week, we celebrate the unique power of university presses to bring communities together in the pursuit of knowledge. Across the globe, presses unite authors, editors, reviewers, librarians, translators and readers to ensure that research reaches those who can make a difference. It’s a reminder that collaboration is the lifeblood of scholarly publishing – and never is that more important than now.
We live in a time of significant challenges for research and society. There is rising scepticism about science, a growing mistrust in evidence-based research and the roll-back of progressive movements such as equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives that strive to create fairness and peace in societies. These developments underscore why it is essential for scholarly communities to TeamUP! and defend the integrity, accessibility and inclusivity of knowledge.
At Bristol University Press, one initiative that embodies this spirit of collaboration is the Global Social Challenges Development Fund (GSC Fund). This programme exists to remove barriers that prevent talented researchers – particularly those from the Global South and Early Career Researchers – from contributing to global conversations about critical social issues.
Addressing inequality in publishing
Academic publishing remains unevenly distributed. Many researchers face financial, linguistic and structural hurdles that limit their participation in international scholarship. Without support, vital research and local insights can be excluded from the global stage, weakening the collective understanding needed to tackle pressing problems such as climate change, migration, poverty and social injustice.
The GSC Fund seeks to redress these imbalances. By providing practical support, it ensures that high-quality research is not restricted by geography, language or financial means. It is about giving researchers the opportunity to have their work seen, evaluated and used to inform meaningful action worldwide.
How the Fund makes a difference
The Fund offers a variety of support mechanisms to enable more equitable participation in publishing. These include:
- Mentorship programmes for Early Career and Global South Researchers
- Workshops and guidance on publishing processes
- Open access funding to ensure research is freely available to all
- Multilingual publication to reach wider, diverse audiences
Through these initiatives, the Fund also supports Diamond open access publishing, which removes financial barriers for both authors and readers. This ensures that research can travel further, influence policy and contribute to debates in a way that is inclusive and globally representative.
Collaboration as a necessity
The theme of University Press Week 2025 – TeamUP! – resonates strongly with the aims of the GSC Fund. Presses, authors, reviewers and readers all contribute to a network that strengthens research and its reach. Now more than ever, as scientific literacy is questioned and social progress faces opposition, the act of teaming up becomes critical.
By working collectively, University presses can amplify the voices of marginalised researchers, share knowledge widely and defend evidence-based scholarship. The GSC Fund exemplifies this collaborative ethos, demonstrating that partnerships across disciplines, regions and institutions are essential to building understanding and addressing global challenges.
Amplifying Global Social Challenges
The Fund focuses on research that responds to 16 key Global Social Challenges themes identified by Bristol University Press to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals from a social sciences point of view. These include issues such as climate change, racial and gender justice, health inequality, migration and poverty. These are complex, interconnected problems that demand a diverse and inclusive array of perspectives to develop effective solutions.
Bristol University Press was the first UK university press to sign up to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact, which aims to accelerate progress towards achieving the goals. We believe strongly in publishing with people who face social challenges, and not just publishing work about them. We include their voices and direct testimony through participatory, user-led and co-produced research.
Projects are selected based on scholarly quality and their alignment with the Fund’s mission to advance equitable, evidence-informed research, such as our flagship open access Global Social Challenges Journal, which is the first social sciences journal to address global challenges and dedicated to publishing content that represents marginalised, minority and Indigenous world views.
Looking ahead
For nearly three decades, Bristol University Press and its imprint Policy Press have published socially driven research that seeks to make a tangible difference in the world. The Global Social Challenges Development Fund builds on this legacy by actively reducing barriers to publication, opening access and supporting researchers who may otherwise be excluded from global scholarship.
As university presses, we collaborate all the time and that is how we thrive. Editors, authors, reviewers, donors and readers each play a role in making research accessible, credible and inclusive. At a time when misinformation is spreading and progressive initiatives are under threat, this collective effort is more vital than ever. By working together, we can ensure that knowledge remains a force for fairness, understanding and positive social change.
University Press Week reminds us that collaboration is not just a principle – it is a necessity. And initiatives like the Global Social Challenges Development Fund show what is possible when the scholarly community truly teams up.
Katie Foxall is Senior Journals Development Editor at Bristol University Press.
Read the fully Open Access Global Social Challenges Journal on Bristol University Press Digital.
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