In this episode, the discussion revolves around the rights retention strategy, open access, and the challenges researchers face in the academic publishing landscape. The benefits of green open access and rights retention are emphasized, as they allow authors to retain their rights and share their research more widely. This approach is necessary in light of publishers asserting more rights than they should have for a long time. The conversation delves into the varied stances of publishers on rights retention, with some being more receptive than others. Researchers often face difficulties navigating different publisher policies, leading to confusion and potential issues with sharing their work. To address this, the role of funders in shaping open access policies is considered crucial. Funders like UKRI and the Wellcome Trust have implemented policies to promote open access, which has influenced researchers and institutions to adopt rights retention strategies. The University of Cambridge is conducting a Rights Retention Pilot, inviting researchers to sign up for a non-exclusive CC BY license for their accepted manuscripts published within a year. This pilot aims to provide an additional layer of protection for researchers when dealing with publishers. The open-access team at the university handles any issues with publishers, rather than the authors themselves. The impact of UKRI and Research England policies on open access is also discussed. Research England manages the research excellence framework (REF), which assesses research quality in UK universities. Although the REF requirements have not yet been updated, it is expected that their open access policies will align with those of UKRI. In conclusion, the episode highlights the importance of rights retention and open access in the academic publishing landscape, and how funders and institutions can play a significant role in promoting these practices. Researchers are encouraged to assert their rights and share their work widely, contributing to a more open and accessible research environment.