Research Councils UK (RCUK) welcomes the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's report, The Implementation of Open Access, which has been published today (22 February 2013).
RCUK welcomes the recommendations made by the Committee in the report and will be considering them carefully as we revise the guidance for the policy and as we devise the terms of the 2014 review.
We acknowledge that communication and engagement around the policy, including its development, has been challenging despite trying to respond to the need to engage early on with a broad range of stakeholders. Lessons have been learned and we will continue to actively engage with the academic and publishing sectors as well as learned societies and other international stakeholders throughout the implementation period and beyond. This will allow us to address any immediate concerns as well as to keep a watching brief on the implementation process.
We are keen to gather evidence of both intended and unintended consequences of the policy that can be reflected on as part of the 2014 review. We will consider the committee's recommendations for monitoring closely as we devise the terms of that review to ensure that it is both focussed and far-reaching. It is our intention to continue to monitor the implementation and consequences of the policy beyond the initial review period in 2014. Open Access is not limited to the RCUK policy so we will also continue to work with partners within the UK and internationally to share best practice and monitor developments in this fast-paced agenda.
The revised guidance, which takes into account the feedback that we have received from the Committee and other stakeholders within the academic communities, publishing sector and from learned societies and coincides with the embargo decision tree agreed on with the publishers, will be published shortly.
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Further information
Contact:
Katie Clark
Press and Communications Manager
Tel: 01793 444592 or email: Katie Clark
Notes to editors
The House of Lord's Science and Technology Committee's report, The Implementation of Open Access, is available here.
Further information about RCUK’s Open Access policy is available here.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils who annually invest around £3 billion in research. We support excellent research, as judged by peer review, that has an impact on the growth, prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. To maintain the UK’s global research position we offer a diverse range of funding opportunities, foster international collaborations and provide access to the best facilities and infrastructure around the world. We also support the training and career development of researchers and work with them to inspire young people and engage the wider public with research. To maximise the impact of research on economic growth and societal wellbeing we work in partnership with other research funders including the Technology Strategy Board, the UK Higher Education funding bodies, business, government, and charitable organisations. www.rcuk.ac.uk.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC).