[A2k] EU open access to scientific articles: pilot project launched

Wed Aug 20 11:48:01 2008

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  Better access to scientific articles on EU-funded research: European
Commission launches online pilot project

Reference:  IP/08/1262    Date:  20/08/2008

IP/08/1262

Brussels, 20 August 2008
Better access to scientific articles on EU-funded research: European
Commission launches online pilot project

Fast and reliable access to research results, especially via the
Internet, can drive innovation, advance scientific discovery and
support the development of a strong knowledge-based economy. The
European Commission wants to ensure that the results of the research
it funds under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) with
more than =E2=82=AC 50 billion from 2007 - 2013 are disseminated as widely
and effectively as possible to guarantee maximum exploitation and
impact in the world of researchers and beyond. The Commission today
launched a pilot project that will give unrestricted online access to
EU-funded research results, primarily research articles published in
peer reviewed journals, after an embargo period of between 6 and 12
months. The pilot will cover around 20% of the FP7 programme budget in
areas such as health, energy, environment, social sciences and
information and communication technologies.

"Easy and free access to the latest knowledge in strategic areas is
crucial for EU research competitiveness. This open access pilot is an
important step towards achieving the 'fifth freedom', the free
movement of knowledge amongst Member States, researchers, industry and
the public at large," said EU Commissioner for Science and Research
Janez Poto=C4=8Dnik. "Beyond, it is a fair return to the public of research
that is funded by EU money."

"The rapid development of digital technologies offers researchers
unprecedented possibilities for the timely and efficient sharing of
information. Our new pilot will harness that potential, making it
easier for researchers, businesses and policy makers to address global
challenges like climate change by providing them with access to the
latest research," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information
Society and Media. "I welcome especially the fact that scientific
publishers have started to move gradually towards new dissemination
models and are collaborating with researchers on open access. They
have given valuable input to the Commission on these areas, which has
been used in the preparation of the pilot project. This will allow a
mutually beneficial coexistence that maximises the effects of open
access on publicly funded research while leaving room for privately
financed business models in publishing."

The Commission's open access pilot, to run until the end of FP7, aims
to ensure that the results from EU-funded research are progressively
made available to all. Grant recipients will be required to deposit
peer reviewed research articles or final manuscripts resulting from
their FP7 projects in an online repository. They will have to make
their best effort to ensure open access to these articles within
either six or twelve months after publication, depending on the
research area. This embargo period will allow scientific publishers to
get a return on their investment.

Open access to research articles, previously accessible through
journal subscriptions, can help to increase the impact of the EU's =E2=82=
=AC
50 billion investment in research and development and avoid wasting
time and valuable resources on duplicative research. With access to a
wider selection of literature, researchers can build upon this
knowledge to further their own work. Small and medium sized businesses
and entrepreneurs can also benefit from improved access to the latest
research developments to speed up commercialisation and innovation.

Background

The open access pilot launched today was foreseen in the European
Commission's February 2007 Communication on 'Scientific information in
the digital age: access, dissemination and preservation' (IP/07/190).
In reaction to this Communication, the November 2007 Council of EU
research ministers invited the Commission to experiment with open
access in FP7.

Since 2006, the Commission has organised extensive consultations with
stakeholders on open access policies, including a high level
stakeholder conference, attracting some 500 participants, in February
2007.

Many national funding bodies, for example the Wellcome Trust in the UK
or the National Institutes of Health in the USA already have open
access rules. The European Research Council's Scientific Council
adopted its Guidelines for Open Access in December 2007.

Details are available in MEMO/08/548

Link to the full text of the Decision:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/press/2008/pdf/decision_grant_agreement.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/research/press/2008/pdf/annex_1_new_clauses.pdf

Details on the open access pilot will be available by 01.09.2008 at:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/open_access

Related activities:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/scientific_information

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/digital_libraries/index_=
en.htm

http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/ScC_Guidelines_Open_Access_revised_Dec07_FINAL.pdf

Michelle Childs
Head of European Affairs
  Knowledge Ecology International
www.keionline.org / www.cptech.org
Phone:+44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252
Email: michelle.childs@cptech.org