Starting from January 1, 2024, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) open access policy will extend to include monographs, book chapters, and edited collections that acknowledge UKRI funding. The policy is designed to ensure that research findings funded by UKRI, using public money, are freely accessible, fostering collaboration and innovation across the research and innovation community.
The policy encompasses a commitment to advancing open access for long-form research publications and supporting the development of the broader open access community. To facilitate the implementation of this policy, UKRI is launching a dedicated £3.5 million fund to cover open access costs for long-form publications within the policy's scope.
Key points about the funding: Application Period: The fund's stage one applications will open on November 28, 2023, allowing research organizations to register publications for funding consideration; Application Stages: Stage two applications, where research organizations confirm publication details and UKRI reimburses costs, will open in January 2024; Webinars: UKRI will host webinars for library and research support staff on November 23 and November 29 to guide them through the application process; Funding Levels: Up to £10,000 for monographs or edited collections with book processing charges (BPC). Up to £6,000 for contributions toward a diamond or non-BPC open access scheme. Up to £1,000 for book chapter processing charges; Compliance: Authors and research organizations can comply with the policy by making the Version of Record or the Authors Accepted Manuscript open access within 12 months of publication; Third-Party Content: The policy acknowledges the importance of third-party content, such as images, in long-form research outputs. Guidelines and support are provided to manage third-party content when publishing open access; and Phased Implementation: While UKRI expects long-form publications to be open access from January 1, 2024, the first nine months will serve as a bedding-in period, with compliance monitoring commencing afterward.
The UKRI open access policy and guidance for award holders can be found on the Publishing your research findings page.
UKRI encourages communication, information sharing, and collaboration within the research and innovation community to ensure a smooth transition to the new policy.
For further details and to register for webinars, visit the UKRI Open Access Funding and Reporting page.
Click here to read the original press release.
