The UKRI open access policy was determined by the UKRI open access review, which took place from autumn 2018 to summer 2021.
To understand the changes to our policy and how decisions were made, see UKRI open access policy: explanation of policy changes.
UKRI open access review
The UKRI open access review sought to review UKRI’s existing open access policies and recommend an updated single open access policy for UKRI and all its councils.
The review included extensive engagement with stakeholders, including through meetings and public consultation. UKRI wishes to thank all stakeholders who contributed to the review.
Key activities undertaken by the review included:
- consideration of external evidence and recommendations, including:
- Professor Adam Tickell’s independent advice on open access to research (GOV.UK)
- the work of the Universities UK Open Access Coordination Group and its working groups
- roundtables and workshops with stakeholders and experts (a summary of these discussions is available at UKRI open access policy: summary of workshops and discussions)
- commissioned external analysis, including:
- an assessment by Alma Economics on the economic implications and benefits of UKRI’s proposed policy
- a British Academy report on open access and book chapters
- a consultation on open access challenges and opportunities for low and middle-income countries (GOV.UK), commissioned by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in collaboration with UKRI and the National Institute for Health Research
- a public consultation on UKRI’s proposed policy held February to May 2020. CFE Research was commissioned by UKRI to analyse the responses to the consultation and produce a report summarising the public consultation findings
- an equality impact assessment of the UKRI open access policy.
The review was overseen by UKRI Executive Champions for Open Research, Professor Sir Duncan Wingham and David Sweeney. A steering group included senior representation from across UKRI and representation from the UK higher education funding bodies. The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Wellcome were observers.
The review reported to UKRI’s Board and Executive Committee and the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.
Ask about the UKRI open access review
Email: openresearch@ukri.org