[A2k] The Commission of the EC on regulation and self-regulation pro OA to scientific knowledge

[Armbruster, Chris]

Commission of the European Communities (CEC) Conference =91Scientific Publi=
shing in the European Research Area =96 Access, Dissemination and Preservat=
ion in the Digital Age=92, Brussels, 15-16 February 2007

Communication from the CEC =91On Scientific Information in the Digital Age:=
 Access, Dissemination and Preservation=92 COM (2007) 56 (provisional)

The CEC expresses in the provisional Communication its intention to support=
 access to community funded research results by
- Defining as eligible costs for open access publishing in community resear=
ch programmes;
- Allowing mandatory deposit policies with a post-publication embargo perio=
d to be implemented as advised by EURAB for FP7 and intended by the ERC for=
 future grants (announced in December 2006);
- Co-funding research infrastructure development (=8050m for digital reposi=
tories, =8025m for digital preservation and collaborative tools, =8010m for=
 access and use of scientific information);
- Funding a study on the economic aspects of digital preservation;
- Funding research on publication business models and on the scientific pub=
lication system.

>From the Opening Speech of the Commissioner Janez Potocnik and the Communic=
ation it emerges that the CEC embraces change and wishes to enhance access =
to knowledge, but is equally concerned about economic competitiveness and i=
nnovation as well as digital preservation. Concerns may be discerned with r=
egard to the road ahead, and these centre on how to ensure that a =91critic=
al mass=92 of high quality scientific information becomes available without=
 undue disruption of the system due to exorbitant transitional costs or a g=
ap in accessibility.

What this means is that while the CEC broadly embraces the move towards ope=
n access to scientific knowledge, it is cognisant of the fact that in the E=
U 780 scientific publishers employ 36,000 persons and produce 49% of world =
output (from the Communication). Consequently, it is unlikely that there wi=
ll be outright support for a European policy mandating published articles a=
rising from EC-funded research to be available after a given time period in=
 open access archives.

The significance of this is that the CEC is not (at present) willing to int=
ercede pro OA with overt political regulation. That leaves the field open t=
o self-regulation, which means that research funders, research organisation=
s and universities must and will =96 with each other - negotiate the way fo=
rward. The significance of the EURAB recommendation and ERC intentions then=
 is that they support a broader European move towards OA =96 by publishing =
and by deposition.

The publishers may, presently, be relieved that there will be no overt poli=
tical regulation. But their =91Brussels Declaration on STM Publishing=92 is=
 only remarkable for confirming how out-of-touch toll-access publishers hav=
e become =96 not only out-of-touch with the potential of digital technology=
 and the wider opportunities of the knowledge-based economy, but also =96 a=
nd even worse =96 with the workflow and needs of scientists. It is not OA a=
rchiving mandates that threaten publishers, but their widespread unwillingn=
ess to embrace change and co-operate (not true, of course, for OA publisher=
s). Indeed, it might well be that non-reforming publishers will be running =
for political cover very soon by demanding subsidies to preserve their outd=
ated business models and technology.

This is why and how a case for wider political regulation could still be bu=
ilt: Studies are appearing that estimate a highly positive impact for OA on=
 innovation and economic growth. Models and data that confirm this could pe=
rsuade the CEC to help organise a transition to OA. There is an analogous p=
recedent: Directive 2003/98/EC on the re-use of public sector information (=
17 November 2003). It was based on high expectations about the economic val=
ue of the PSI re-use market that would emerge. Essentially, the directive r=
egulates OA to PSI.

The economic value of OA would seem to be of even higher value - compared t=
o PSI =96 and thus a real boost to the European knowledge economy. This wou=
ld justify the instigation of an orderly transition to OA. Moreover, a dire=
ctive on OA to scientific information might be the last chance for change-r=
esistant publishers to save themselves. If the management of toll-access pu=
blishers is incapable, then we must do our best to create new publishing co=
mpanies in Europe to salvage 36,000 jobs and create new ones.


Chris Armbruster

Rapporteur
"Academic Publishing in Europe: Innovation & Publishing " - under the Patro=
nage of Dr. Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Education and Research in =
Germany and under the Auspices of the EU Research Directorate-General
http://www.ape2007.eu/text/0702ape07_short_report1.pdf


Research articles at http://ssrn.com/author=3D434782

Open access in social and cultural science: Innovative moves to enhance acc=
ess, inclusion and impact in scholarly communication

Cyberscience and the knowledge-based economy, open access and trade publish=
ing: from contradiction to compatibility with nonexclusive copyright licens=
ing