Useful information for research funders
In this section we have compiled information of particular interest to research funders. Practical tips and concrete replies to questions on specific topics can be found in the FAQ section. Since we wish to expand and optimise open-access.net progressively, in line with user needs and feedback, we welcome your input. So please don't hesitate to send us an e-mail if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.
Policy measures to support Open Access
Research funders play a key role in the science sector. Without the multifaceted support of diverse funding organisations, excellent research would hardly be possible. At the same time, through their allocation and research-evaluation procedures, funders exercise considerable influence, especially on the way in which research results are made publicly available.
An increasing number of funding agencies and scientific organisations have declared their support for free access to the results of publicly funded research. One important motive is the enhancement of the national and international visibility of research results and hence the improvement of the standing and international competitiveness of the research location in question. Open Access is also of central importance when it comes to promoting inter-disciplinary research and international cooperation because, in times of tight budgets, there is often a shortage of funds to provide scientists and scholars with access to publications in other disciplines. Indeed, developing and threshold countries are no longer the only ones to be plagued by a lack of funds for the acquisition of all the resources that are of possible relevance to research. Research results that are made publicly available in accordance with the Open Access paradigm are optimally reusable. Moreover, Open Access promotes the transparency of research results and facilitates scientific quality assurance. Furthermore, from the perspective of research and science organisations, an important reason for supporting OA is to achieve a return on public investment in research by ensuring that, wherever possible, the results of this research are made publicly accessible and are thereby available for all to use. However, possibilities for obliging grantees to provide OA to their research results are limited by academic freedom and the freedom to publish (the codification of which differs from country to country) and by science policy interests.
Many research funders have published an Open Access policy, in which they adopt a clear stance on OA. This policy serves as the basis for their future funding strategy. As a rule, it clarifies the concrete funding measures and the areas of focus that arise from the organisation's stance on OA and details the conditions under which funding is forthcoming. One possible measure is to put OA publications and conventional publications on an equal footing from a funding-policy point of view. For example, the funding policy of the German Research Foundation (DFG) provides for a supplementary grant of 750 euros per annum towards publication costs, which can also be used to pay author-side fees charged by OA journals (see Merkblatt fuer Antraege auf Sachbeihilfen, p. 8).
The Berlin Declaration on Open Access has been signed by a considerable number of research agencies including the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). At European level, the European Heads of Research Councils (EUROHORCs) and the European Science Foundation (ESF) have published their Vision of a European Research Area, in which they express their commitment to free access to the results of publicly funded research and present a catalogue of measures with which this goal can be achieved. Links to the Open Access policy documents of a number of other funding organisations can be found here. The SHERPA/JULIET database also offers information on the Open Access policies of research funders in Europe. The Alliance of German Research Organisations strategically coordinates support for OA with other research funders and science organisations within the framework of the "Priority Initiative Digital Information".
In addition to adopting a science- and funding-policy stance favouring OA, funding organisations can develop activities in the following areas:
- public relations and awareness raising
- Open Access publication costs
- Open Access funding programmes and instruments
Links for further reading
- Fournier, Johannes: Wege zum Wissen. Aktionsfelder zur Förderung des Open Access durch die DFG (PDF, 46 KB)
Representative of the DFG on the open-access.net Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Johannes Fournier, programme director, Scientific Library Services and Information Systems Division (LIS) at the German Research Foundation (DFG).
FAQ
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