UK government publishes commitment to open access

Kyle Brady
Friday 9 December 2011

A new policy document published this week shows that the UK government is committed to making publicly funded research outputs available as open access. Para. 6.9 of Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth specifically refers to the RCUK requirements for the outputs of the research they fund to be deposited in repositories, with a suggestion that they will be expected to ensure the practice is enforced.

It was interesting to note that The Guardian article on this aspect of the report suggests that the government wants all publicly-funded scientific research to be ‘published in open-access journals’. This somewhat ignores the possibilities that repository deposit or ‘green’ open access currently offers. It does, however, highlight the focus on challenges to publishers’ business models and funding streams that will be the next steps in the government strategy.

“Results of publicly funded research will be open access – science minister” (Guardian 8 Dec 2011)

Government White Paper: Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth  (BIS, Dec 2011)

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