Empowering research communities: How our Silverchair partnership drives innovation and sustainability

On 9th January 2025, we announced a collaborative partnership with Silverchair to launch the new Emerald Insight platform. In this article, Natalie Jacobs, Chief Product Officer at Emerald, explains how this partnership represents a pivotal step in our mission to create an equitable and innovative publishing environment that empowers researchers and amplifies impactful applied research. 

Collaborating for a stronger publishing community 

At Emerald, publishing is at the heart of what we do. By partnering with Silverchair, we can focus on what we do best – curating and publishing high quality research – while leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the user experience. Rather than operating as a technology provider, we’re prioritising our role as a publisher, ensuring a seamless, intuitive and enriching journey for our research communities.   

We believe that there are real benefits to being part of a community of publishers. Collaborating with a partner and our peers to drive forward the best for all of our customers is a compelling opportunity.  

Innovation by putting our communities first 

We're excited about working with Silverchair, whose flexible platform meets our needs and aligns with our organisational values. 

Silverchair’s platform is built for innovation, and their collaborative approach allows us to shape the evolution of Emerald Insight based on real user needs. Silverchair’s publishing industry engagement puts them in a strong position to drive forward the core needs of the industry and support the needs of the research ecosystem. In addition to this, we can work with them to drive forward our own innovations and ideas directly on the platform to benefit the individual needs of our communities.  

Strong values, strong partnership 

Beyond technology, our partnership is built on shared values – sustainability, inclusion and community engagement. This was the first time we integrated sustainability into our vendor selection process, and Silverchair’s commitment to environmental responsibility, sustainability, inclusion and employee wellness mirrors our own. Having attended recent Silverchair events we’ve been inspired by their commitment to sustainability. At the Silverchair client day in 2024 we were greeted with sustainable swag, including reusable water bottles to reduce plastic waste during the event, as well as reusable and sustainably sourced name badges. Small decisions create meaningful impact and together we’re prioritising a publishing future that is both innovative and sustainable. 

We’re futureproofing our platform experience 

Our partnership with Silverchair represents a significant step forward in our commitment to innovation, community development, and sustainability. By aligning our values and leveraging Silverchair's expertise, we’re well-positioned to enhance our platform experience and drive positive change in the academic publishing landscape. This collaboration is more than a technology upgrade. It’s a step towards a more dynamic, inclusive and impactful academic ecosystem.  

We’ll continue to update you as we get ready to launch the new Emerald Insight later this year. For further information please visit the FAQs section on our website.