EU planning to put $102 billion behind 'open access' publishing

The European Union is set to throw the weight of its £64 billion ($102 billion) research funding program behind open-access publishing, Times Higher Education has learned.  An official at the European Commission, which is drafting proposals for the Horizon 2020 program, said that for researchers receiving funding from its program between 2014 and 2020, open-access publishing "will be the norm."

A pilot under way in seven areas of its current funding program will be extended to become a mandate across all peer-reviewed research in the new scheme, which will cover fields ranging from particle physics to social science. The organization is still negotiating with publishers and working up the details of the proposal, but it plans to put forward further ideas at an event in Brussels on June 20 and to publish an official policy before the summer. 

Speaking to Times Higher Education, the director general of research and innovation at the commission, Robert-Jan Smits, said its commitment to free online access was essential to driving free movement of researchers and ideas within Europe. "We can make one hell of a difference," he said. "We’re clear about the huge potential that exists on open access."...