This briefing paper captures the key findings and recommendations of a study commissioned by the Joint Information Systems Committee on aspects of the strategic commitment of institutions to repository sustainability. This project, labelled EMBRACE (EMBedding Repositories And Consortial Enhancement), is aimed at enhancing the functionality, interoperability and extensibility of the SHERPA-LEAP repository service, which currently supports the repositories of thirteen University of London institutions. This research brief aims to clarify the different motivations for using and investing in digital repositories, and to highlight potential ways of addressing the challenges of embedding these repositories in institutional strategy and daily operation. It is designed for use by higher education institutions, which are encouraged to adapt the recommendations to their specific context. A list of related readings is included. (Contains 1 footnote.)