The Western Open Books Grants Program is an opportunity to create learning resources that better reflect your unit content, learning outcomes, discipline expertise and student cohort.

Open textbooks can help reduce student costs, improve access to essential learning materials from the start of session, and support student engagement, retention and success.

They also contribute to Western’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, by supporting more inclusive and equitable access to learning.

Successful applicants will receive:

• funding to help bring their project to life;
• expert publishing support from the Library;
• support to develop or adapt a curriculum-aligned open textbook;
• an opportunity to improve student access to essential learning resources without cost barriers;
• support to contribute to student engagement, retention and success.

Grant funding may be used for project-related costs that support the development or adaptation of an open textbook.

Examples may include:

• Research assistance and author stipends
• Instructional design and accessibility enhancements
• Development of interactive and multimedia content
• Translation and localisation services
• Promotion and academic dissemination
• Sustainability and futureproofing of open textbooks

Western Open Books also provides core publishing support through the Library, including support for publishing on the Western Open Books platform, peer review coordination, copyright and licensing advice, copyediting, and open access dissemination.

In 2026, Western Open Books will offer

• three grants.
• Up to $3,000 per grant.

All funding is in AUD. And excludes GST

• The grant is open to authors employed by Western Sydney University in 2026 and 2027. At least one member of the project team must be an academic staff member.
• Students may participate as co-creators; however, the grant will be awarded to the academic staff member.
• Non-ongoing staff are eligible to apply, provided that at least one team member holds an academic appointment extending through to the scheduled completion of the open textbook.
• Early career academics are encouraged to apply.
• Collaborators from institutions not affiliated with WSU may participate in the project, but they are not eligible to receive funding or access to the Western Open Books platform.

We are looking for open textbook projects that will make a meaningful difference to students and teaching at Western.

Strong applications will show that the proposed open textbook will:

• address a clear curriculum need;
• support student access to essential learning materials without cost barriers;
• be used in a Western Sydney University course or subject;
• benefit a significant student cohort, particularly in core, high-enrolment or first-year subjects;
• be achievable within the project timeline;
• be developed by an author team with relevant disciplinary, teaching or professional expertise;
• support inclusive, accessible and open education practices.

We also encourage projects that meaningfully include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, perspectives and/or languages, where appropriate to the subject area and developed through respectful consultation.

Applications will be reviewed by the Western Open Books Grants Program Review Panel. The panel will consider the quality, feasibility, curriculum relevance and potential student impact of each proposal.

Successful applicants must:

• Enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Western Open Books.
• Permit Western Sydney University to use usage data from the open textbook to support evaluation of the Western Open Books initiative.
• Demonstrate the necessary skills and commitment to successfully plan and deliver an open textbook project.
• Submit the completed manuscript to Western Open Books by the deadline listed in the Key Dates table.
• With support from WSU Library staff, authors must:
• Seek and follow guidance on copyright, licensing, inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
• Participate in copyright review, peer review, and copyediting processes coordinated by Western Open Books.

The open textbook must:

• Be published on the Western Open Books platform.
• Be openly licensed under an appropriate Creative Commons licence, assigned by the Copyright & Licensing Specialist unless otherwise negotiated.
• Meet accessibility requirements (e.g., alt text for images, captions and transcripts for audiovisual content) and align with principles of inclusivity, diversity, and equity.
• Comply with Australian copyright law and Western Sydney University’s copyright policy.
• Include Western Sydney University’s visual identity on the cover.
• Not include any restricted content (e.g., password-protected or access-limited sections).

Note: The proposed open textbook may already be in progress with Western Open Books.

To apply, complete the Western Open Books Grants Program Expression of Interest form by the closing date.

The Expression of Interest form asks you to provide information about:

• your proposed book title;
• the project abstract;
• the rationale for the open textbook;
• when you plan to use the open textbook in teaching;
• how you plan to use the grant funding;
• whether the textbook will include Indigenous content;
• the intended audience, courses or subjects;
• expected enrolments;
• current resources or textbooks in use;
• the project team’s experience and expertise

If you are thinking about developing or adapting an open textbook for your unit, now is a great time to explore the opportunity.

Your Learning Partnerships Librarian can help you think through your project idea, understand the application process and consider how an open textbook could support your curriculum and students.