Making Research Findings Free – Commission’s Decision

Open access to research publications, so-called “open access” is regarded vital for reaching innovative progress in the EU. Open access is fundamental to improving knowledge circulation and to facilitate innovation in Europe. Therefore, open access will be mandatory for all scientific publications produced with funding from Horizon 2020, as well as for EU's Research & Innovation research funded during 2014-20.

The global shift towards making research findings available free of charge for readers—so-called 'open access'—was confirmed in a study funded by the European Commission. New research suggests that open access is reaching the tipping point, with around 50% of scientific papers published in 2011 now available for free. This is about twice the level estimated in previous studies, explained by a refined methodology and a wider definition of open access. The study also estimates that more than 40% of scientific peer reviewed articles published worldwide between 2004 and 2011 are now available online in open access form. The study looks at the EU and some neighbouring countries, as well as Brazil, Canada, Japan and United States of America.