Research management systems - market overview
Institutional repositories market
The institutional repository market in the UK has traditionally been dominated by two open source software solutions EPrints and DSpace with institutions using either on-premise or hosted solutions. Whilst the market has remained relatively stable over recent years a growing market share for EPrints over DSpace has developed with institutions using a mix of on-premise versions of the software, hosted solutions and consortia EPrints repositories.
In addition, an increasing number of institutions are now integrating institutional repository functions into their research information management system (CRIS / RIMS) with institutions using Elsevier Pure as an integrated CRIS / repository being the most prominent example of this model.
A small but growing number of institutions are also now using Figshare (initially marketed primarily as a research data repository) as a dual publications / data repository.
Based on a survey of 170 UK HE repository users the current market as of summer 2024 is as follows:
CRIS / RIMS market
Of the institutions surveyed using institutional repositories, just over half are also now users of some form of CRIS / RIMS system for integrated research management functions.
The market for CRIS / RIMS systems is dominated in the UK by Elsevier’s Pure and Symplectic Elements, with the proportion of the market taken by Elsevier growing.
