News

Liverpool University Press selected as new publishing partner

21 Jan 2025

The British Academy has chosen Liverpool University Press (LUP) as the new partner for its prestigious and long-running academic publishing programme.

LUP’s robust response to the Academy’s new publishing strategy – which focuses on meeting evolving trends in the publishing landscape and sets out an ambition to be fully Open Access over time – led to its success in the tendering process.

The partnership with LUP begins on the 1 July 2025. The Academy has had a strong publishing relationship with Oxford University Press (OUP) for many decades, but both parties felt it was an opportune moment to take stock and review plans. A tender for the new contract was launched in the summer of 2024.

Professor Lindsay Farmer FBA, Vice President for Publishing at the British Academy, said: "We are thrilled to be working with Liverpool University Press as we embark on a new publishing strategy which puts the opening up of knowledge at the heart of all we do. LUP has been at the forefront of imaginative, agile and forward thinking about the future of academic publishing and how to tap into the ever-growing audience of educated readers. This will include plans to harness our incredible backlist stretching back decades to make sure this scholarship can be easily accessed by a global market.

“We are very proud of our partnership with Oxford University Press, which has resulted in an incredible catalogue of agenda-setting and discipline-shaping scholarship found in libraries, universities and homes the world over. We want to thank them for their excellence and collaboration over the decades and will continue working with them to champion the humanities and social sciences.”

Anthony Cond, Chief Executive of Liverpool University Press, said: “Built on a rich history, yet focused on the challenges of the present and the future, the British Academy is an essential presence in UK higher education and cultural life, with impact around the world. It is a singular honour for Liverpool University Press to work in partnership with the Academy, not least because of a shared commitment to amplifying the vital work of the humanities and social sciences.”

Professor Fiona Beveridge, Liverpool University Press Board Chair, and Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences said: “We are delighted to be working with the British Academy which plays a vital role in supporting humanities and social sciences. The selection of Liverpool University Press (LUP) as the Academy's publishing partner recognises the outstanding reputation of the Press as a high-quality and innovative academic publisher which has led the way in embracing and developing new digital publishing and open access models. LUP is a cherished asset within the University which plays a key role in supporting the University's reputation and global standing.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Jasmine Watkiss, Media Manager at the British Academy at [email protected].

If you are an author and you’d like more information about the new publishing partner, please contact [email protected] or visit the British Academy’s author FAQs page www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publishing/transition-faqs.

Notes to Editors

About the British Academy: The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone. Twitter / X: @BritishAcademy_

About Liverpool University Press: Liverpool University Press (LUP) has a distinguished history of publishing exceptional research since 1899. LUP publishes around 200 books a year, 50 journals, and more than a dozen digital collections.  It is also the home of Liverpool Distribution Services and Liverpool Subscription Services, working on behalf of a number of university presses, foundations and non-profits to support the dissemination of scholarly research.

About the University of Liverpool: Founded in 1881 as the original ‘red brick’, the University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive higher education institutions with an annual turnover of £675.1 million, including an annual research income of £160.6 million.

Consistently ranked in the top 200 universities worldwide, we are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of the UK’s leading research universities and have a global reach and influence that reflects our academic heritage as one of the country’s largest civic institutions.

The latest UK rankings of circa 130 institutions have placed the University of Liverpool at 23rd (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025), 27th (2025 Guardian University Guide), 25th (Daily Mail University Guide 2025) and 19th (2025 Complete University Guide) nationally.

Contact the press office

For further information contact the Press Office on [email protected]  / 07500 010 432.

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