European Communities Statement on Alternative Models for Open Access Publishing

With the European Union and most of the major UK research funders now mandating the Open Access publishing of research derived from public funding, calls for the development of a long-term, sustainable model for open access publishing are growing month by month. As part of this process, the European Commission organised a workshop in Brussels on 12 October to collect information and reflect on some of the more established and on some newly-developed financial models for Open Access publishing.

Green open access models using organisational or subject repositories and Gold open access models requiring Article Processing Charges (APCs) both have their advantages and disadvantages, but newer models are now coming to the fore which could optimise existing models and forge routes for the creation of new OA scenarios. The presentations given on some of these newer OA models can be accessed on the European Communities DG Research and Innovation website.

A discussion on the future of Open Access publishing models was also launched on the new Digital for Science Platform. You can join the debate at: https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/what-future-open-access-publishing

In addition to the workshop, EC Research Commissioner Carlos Moedas has also issued a statement calling on publishers to adapt their Open Access publishing models to new financial realities. This statement can also be accessed on the EC's Europa website.

Steve Smith IS Academic Engagement Group