Research funders agree to increase free access to published research

Research Councils UK and the Higher Education Funding Council for England have agreed to work together to ensure greater open access to published research.

Most journals already make selected articles available free of charge over the internet, but retain some papers behind the subscriber wall.

The mechanisms of achieving open access will include increased support for the pay to publish model, where the author or research institution pays a fee for the paper to be made available to non-journal subscribers once published. In addition, grant holders will be encouraged to deposit research papers in repositories within an agreed time, from where they can be accessed more widely by interested parties.

In a joint statement, the councils said they shared a commitment “to maintaining and improving the capacity of the UK research base to undertake research activity of world leading quality, and to ensuring that significant outputs from this activity are made available as widely as possible both within and beyond the research community.

“Open access to published research supports this commitment and, if widely implemented, can benefit the research base, higher education, and the UK economy and society more broadly. To achieve this, open access needs to be implemented with clear licensing agreements, sustainable business models, and working with the grain of established research cultures and practices.”

Douglas Kell, champion for information at the Research Councils UK said: “Research is essential to the growth, prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. Ensuring the widest possible access to research, both within and outside of the research community, will mean that the groundbreaking discoveries made in science and research can have a greater impact on all our lives.”

In a speech to the Association of British Science Writers on 24 May David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said: “In a recent discussion with members of the research community and publishers I stressed the importance of open access to this information for everyone, and I’m delighted that the Research Councils and HEFCE have committed to taking this forward.”