The Australian Digital Theses (ADT) Program is collaborating with a commercial company, ProQuest Information and Learning (PQIL), to investigate practical solutions and service options to further the ADT's goals of open access to Australian research through world wide metadata exposure. Using a pilot project structure, the ADT is investigating the potential of a partnership with PQIL in the following areas: 牔he scanning and digitisation of retrospective theses 牔he performance of aspects of copyright checking (checking the thesis for attachments or other identifiable material that may be under another copyright) 牔he provision of access to PQIL's Digital Commons Deposit software customised to ADT specifications for both current (born digital) and retrospective deposit 牔he provision of a full text trial repository housing retrospectively scanned and born digital theses (plus metadata - in a PQIL proprietary format or output as Dublin Core) This session will review the key issues for PQIL and the ADT in entering into the partnership, discuss the philosophical and logistical issues that had to be overcome, and provide detail of the progress of the project. One participating ADT institution, Griffith University, will reflect on challenges, benefits and outcomes of the project from their perspective, and impacts on its local ADT operations