The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Research Repository is an open access repository for the research produced by staff and research associates of RBG Kew.

Kew’s mission is to be the global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, building an understanding of the world’s plants and fungi upon which all our lives depend. We use the power of our science and the rich diversity of our gardens and collections to provide knowledge, inspiration and understanding of why plants and fungi matter to everyone.

We will only achieve this mission if we are able to share our research outputs with scientists, students, policymakers, governments and anyone else interested in our work. The outputs contained in this research repository encompass the work of around 350 science-based staff and around 200 honorary researchers and postgraduate students. This repository, for the first time, makes their research outputs discoverable and accessible for everybody.

The aims of the repository are to:

1. Provide a reliable source of information about research undertaken by Kew staff, individually or in collaboration with other research organisations

2. Provide a single point of open access to our full-text research outputs wherever possible

3. Make our research easier to find, and enhance the contribution we make to UK and international research

4. Respond to the open access expectations of our research funders.

Material not produced by or in association with Kew staff is not eligible for inclusion.

The repository currently houses material such as journal articles, conference papers, books and book chapters, reports, datasets and images. Where the full item cannot be added, metadata about the research output is provided together with a link to the full item where possible.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew repository is part of a Shared Repository Service, encompassing the research outputs of a number of UK cultural and heritage institutions.

It is the first UK open access repository partnership for the cultural heritage sector, and its importance to the community through the creation of innovative and necessary infrastructure was recognised through a series of grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) between 2021-2027. This consortial approach means the Service is community-driven and provides partners with a service that suits the unique needs of our sector.

The majority of these institutions are Independent Research Organisations (IROs), who are eligible to apply for funding from government bodies. Many partners in the Shared Repository Service are members of the IRO Consortium (IROC), a network of museums, libraries, galleries and archives that all produce research as part of their daily work. Our research informs professional practice nationally and globally and broadens our subject awareness for all.

Our separate repositories can be visited individually, or explored together via a single search through the collaborative Shared Repository Service homepage.

The Shared Repository Service is open to new partners from 2027. If your organisation is interested in hearing more about the benefits of membership, please email openaccess@bl.uk.

The General Purpose Repository is a collection maintained by the British Library for smaller organisations (non-IROs) that produce research but currently have no means to permanently make this available online.

This is currently a pilot project and we welcome expressions of interest in helping the British Library shape this important service for institutions that may otherwise struggle to share their outputs openly, for the long term.

Eligible organisations include UK county and city libraries, museum and archive services, UK learned societies and other organisations in the cultural heritage sector.

If you have research outputs that you think may be suitable for the General Purpose Repository, please email: openaccess@bl.uk to discuss this further.

The General Purpose Repository is not intended for outputs by independent researchers unless they are affiliated with one of these eligible organisations.

The Shared Repository Service has been managed by the British Library since 2018. Since 2026, the platform uses DSpace software and is hosted and developed by 4Science.

For all enquiries or take down requests, please email openaccess@bl.uk.