On October 21 2009, The National Library of the Netherlands (KB), Delft University and SURF became founding members of the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR). COAR is an international association of organizations that have a common strategic interest in Open Access to scholarly communication.

COAR was formed out of a need to work together at the international level to promote greater visibility and application of research outputs through global networks of Open Access digital repositories.

Leadership
SURF has played a leadership role in the development of Open Access repositories in the Netherlands. Through the DARE and SURFshare programs, SURF has assisted its members in setting up repositories on their campuses; and worked with other research organizations in the Netherlands and internationally in support of Open Access. Participation in COAR is a natural extension of these activities. "We are delighted to announce our membership in COAR," said Wim Liebrand, chair of SURF. "COAR membership offers SURF and the Dutch research libraries the opportunity to have a greater influence on the direction and expansion of Open Access world-wide".

Repository community
COAR evolved out of a European project called the Digital Repository Infrastructure Vision for European Research (DRIVER) in consultation with the international repository community. The Confederation aims to support the expansion of Open Access through developing international, interoperable standards; advocating for Open Access policies with research funders and institutions; and working to improve deposit rates at repositories.
Other founding members are from Europe, Asia, and the United States. "The collections contained in Open Access repositories gain tremendous value when they are part of a larger, interconnected network," said Norbert Lossau, Scientific Coordinator of the DRIVER Project and chair of COAR.

COAR was officially launched in Ghent, Belgium during the international Open Access Week.