Commission open-access envoy outlines future for Plan S

On his last day as open-access envoy for the European Commission, Robert-Jan Smits said he has laid the groundwork for the continued growth of Plan S, the controversial publishing initiative that he masterminded.

The first priority for the Commission and Coalition S—the group of research funders that have signed up to Plan S—is to get in place people and agreements to build on the momentum Smits created over the past year, he told Research Fortnight’s sister publication Research Europe on 28 February.

The next envoy will have to convince more funders to sign up to the plan, following fierce resistance from some researchers and publishers. Two people have been shortlisted for the role, Smits said. The Wellcome Trust’s head of open research Robert Kiley will fill in on an interim basis, but Smits said he is not a permanent candidate.