Wellcome Trust backs campaign for open access to research

The Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s biggest funders of biomedical research, is to throw its weight behind the campaign to open up access to scientific papers.

Mark Wallport, director of the trust, told the Guardian (10 April, p 1) that in future it would insist on the scientists it funds publishing their results in such a way that the public could have free access to them within six months of publication. Those who disregard the policy could find it impossible to obtain future grants.

The trust is in the final stage of launching its own journal, eLife, in cooperation with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Max …