National framework on open access research launched

The Irish government has officially started a national framework on the transition to an open research environment.

Released by the National Open Research Forum, which prepared the document, the framework is designed to make all publicly funded research in Ireland available without paywalls. It is in line with the emerging EU policy on open access and the preservation of research, said John Halligan, the research minister, on 10 July.

Pursuing open access science should be a requirement for accessing funds from the next EU research budget, Halligan explained. The policy would ensure that Ireland can prepare for the “shift in culture and practice” now underway across Europe and internationally, he said.