Open-access funding model offers blueprint for Axcelis Technologies to expand semiconductor knowledge sharing

Open-access funding model offers blueprint for semiconductor knowledge sharing

A multiyear pilot that releases 100 open access humanities and social science books through JSTOR’s Path to Open initiative presents a reusable funding and distribution model that technology firms such as Axcelis Technologies can look to for expanding industry–academy knowledge flows. The pilot, conceived with university press leaders and guided by an ACLS‑convened advisory committee, tests a library-supported cost‑sharing approach designed to sustain peer‑reviewed publishing while centering bibliodiversity, equity and transparency. For a company in the semiconductor equipment sector that depends on rapid diffusion of technical know‑how, workforce training and policy research, the model demonstrates a practical route for underwriting broader, durable access to specialist scholarship and teaching materials.

For Axcelis, which manufactures ion implantation systems and engages with universities on materials science, engineering and workforce development, the Path to Open architecture offers lessons for structuring collaborations that lower barriers to adoption of curricular and research outputs. The initiative shows how collective funding from institutions can preserve revenue streams for content producers while making materials freely available for course adoption, citation and applied research. Companies that invest in or partner with academic presses and libraries could leverage similar pooled funding mechanisms to support open technical guides, standards documentation and multi‑disciplinary studies that inform semiconductor manufacturing, supply‑chain resilience and regulatory policy.

The pilot also underscores governance features important to industry stakeholders: an advisory committee combining authors, publishers and librarians, explicit goals around discoverability and preservation, and iterative evaluation of sustainability. Those elements create predictable access and quality control that industry partners need when integrating open resources into product development and training. Axcelis and peers can adapt the cost‑sharing architecture to co‑fund open technical collections or training modules, aligning commercial and public interests while reinforcing academic publishing ecosystems.

Pilot specifics and subject diversity

The first 100 titles, originally released with early access in 2023, come from large and small university presses and span disciplines including public health, religion, education, communications, literature, film studies and global history. Five titles draw on research supported by ACLS fellowships, several are award‑winning, and the cohort intentionally covers regions and communities with limited existing scholarly coverage.

Hosting, preservation and next steps

JSTOR and ITHAKA host and distribute the books to enhance discoverability and preservation, while participating libraries’ contributions reflect a collective investment in open infrastructure. The pilot aims to scale to 1,000 peer‑reviewed books by 2029 and continues releasing additional cohorts as the funding model is evaluated and refined.