Delegates at the Open Horizons: Advancing Open Research in India forum have concluded that structural barriers must be removed for the widespread adoption of open research across the country.
The forum, co-organized by Taylor & Francis and IndiaBioscience in New Delhi, brought together senior leaders from government, funding agencies and academic institutions to discuss open research, access equity and research quality. Participants observed that replacing traditional research impact metrics with assessments of societal impact, policy influence and data reusability is necessary for open research to thrive. They praised the One Nation One Subscription initiative for benefiting readers. Still, they called for accelerated planning at all levels to provide open access publishing support so that pioneering work by Indian researchers can achieve maximum international impact.
When assessing institutional preparedness, the group noted that the research community is generally supportive of open research, but infrastructure, rewards and incentives do not yet encourage them; greater emphasis should be placed on reusability and societal engagement to promote real-world impact. Discussions also highlighted that research integrity should become a cultural imperative rather than a compliance requirement, with attendees agreeing on the need for integrity programs across all sectors, standardized training and well-resourced research integrity offices.
The event underscored the importance of supporting Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) research and its role in evidence-based policy, pointing out serious funding gaps in these disciplines compared with heavy investment in STEM and suggesting government intervention may be required.
Organizers summarized that their partnership aims to make life science research more open, accessible and connected to communities, and that the discussions reaffirmed the importance of capacity building, strong infrastructure and responsible publishing practices for a robust scientific ecosystem. They expressed appreciation for the diverse contributions from delegates and emphasized that breaking down structural barriers and fostering innovative alliances can enhance research quality, integrity and societal impact.
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