March 9, 2026
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We are pleased to welcome Couperin as a new signatory of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information.
Couperin is a French consortium bringing together more than 250 higher education and research institutions. It coordinates national negotiations for access to scientific and technical digital resources and supports collaboration across its member institutions.
“Couperin, as a consortium of libraries on behalf of universities and research organizations, promotes scientific information and publishing in the service of research, higher education and society. We are committed to supporting free, open, and easily accessible scientific publishing. Transparency in publishing data and metadata, publishing integrity, and financial terms is embedded in our negotiation principles, as well as the support for the use of open persistent identifiers. The work and principles of the Barcelona Declaration are therefore perfectly aligned with the consortium’s missions and values, and we look forward to putting our experience at the service of this collective initiative.”
Dr Françoise Rousseau, Coordinator of Couperin
The engagement of library consortia in the Barcelona Declaration reflects a broader structural development in the open research information landscape. Working across institutions and national systems, these coordinated networks contribute to shaping shared approaches to infrastructure and governance. With Couperin’s signature, this collective dimension is further strengthened, joining the other consortia already involved in the Barcelona Declaration community and reinforcing the growing momentum across research systems.
“Couperin plays an essential role in France, by negotiating deals with publishers for French institutions of higher education and research. A key actor in the promotion of open access, this new commitment with the Barcelona Declaration perfectly aligns with its values and principles. Its long experience in coordinating collective action will undoubtedly encourage its members to actively contribute to more coherent and research information practices. "
Amélie Church, Sorbonne University and Barcelona Declaration Steering Group
We look forward to working with Couperin and advancing this shared agenda together.
See the full list of signatories and supporters: https://barcelona-declaration.org/signatories/