18/07/2012

Government to Open up Publicly Funded Research

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts has announced that academics, businesses and the public will get easier access to publicly funded research.

The Government will widely accept the recommendations in a report on open access by Dame Janet Finch, a move which is likely to see a major increase in the number of taxpayer funded research papers freely available to the public.

Currently most formally published research is only available behind restricted paywalls. Reforms will see publications opened up to a greater audience, providing more opportunities for research and development across a range of sectors. They will also support the commercial exploitation of research, contributing to the Government’s economic growth agenda.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said:

“Removing paywalls that surround taxpayer funded research will have real economic and social benefits. It will allow academics and businesses to develop and commercialise their research more easily and herald a new era of academic discovery. This development will provide exciting new opportunities and keep the UK at the forefront of global research to drive innovation and growth.”

Among the recommendations that have been accepted by the Government are:

• Moving to deliver open access through a ‘gold’ model, where article processing charges are paid upfront to cover the cost of publication.
• Introducing walk-in rights for the general public, so they can have free access to global research publications owned by members of the UK Publishers’ Association via public libraries.
• Extending the licensing of access enjoyed by universities to high technology businesses for a modest charge.

The recommendations have also been welcomed by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Funding Councils who have also set out their plans for open access.

Professor Doug Kell, RCUK Champion for Research and Information Management said:

"Widening access to the outputs of research currently published in journals has the potential to contribute substantially to furthering the progress of scientific and other research, ensuring that the UK continues to be a world leader in these fields. I am delighted that, together, the Research Councils have been able both to harmonise and to make significant changes to their policies, ensuring that more people have access to cutting edge research that can contribute to both economic growth in our knowledge economy and the wider wellbeing of the UK."

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) have also welcomed the report and will be making open access published research the basis for the Research Excellence Framework from 2014.

The details of how these measures should be developed will be worked on by funders in consultation with universities, research institutions, authors and publishers.

Source: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 18/07/12

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