European Research Commissioner’s Request
Commercial laboratories publishing their research and findings have been encouraged to adopt the open access system by the European research commissioner, Carlos Moedas. The commissioner stressed the importance of research teams sharing their work to accommodate quicker scientific progress, and allow peer-reviewed publications to be viewable by the public.
The open access system incorporates a model wherein the author, and not the reader, pays the publishing costs. This can help increase collaboration between different research facilities and universities when completing research. If the EU-backed plan comes to fruition, all government-funded research will become available online at no cost to any reader.
Much of the costs of publishing the peer-reviewed research will be covered by the EU’s Horizon 2020 – an initiative promoting research and innovation.
Moedas explained the importance of implementing a fairer model for sharing research and information: “There is a revolution happening in the way science works. Every part of the scientific method is nowadays becoming an open, collaborative and participative process. I believe that much effort is needed by the main publishers to adjust their business models to the realities of the 21st century.”
The move seems to be gaining significant momentum with a number of high profile organisations and individuals lending their support. Dutch Secretary of State for Education, Culture and Science, Sander Dekker has pleaded for fully transparent business and research models.
Dekker enthused: “The fact that all LERU (League of European Research Universities) members now let go of the old subscription-based models with big deals and clearly choose for models based on open access, perfectly fits with the open science policy. In this policy, results of publicly funded research must be available free of charge for everyone. This will be a priority during the Dutch Presidency of the EU in the first semester of 2016.”
LERU are giving research teams the chance to lend their support to the movement, by signing the relevant petition on their website. The organisation hope this will demonstrate the European science community’s dedication to sharing information and promoting open access.
An effective open access system could help you and your research team gain more value from science laboratories and facilities. If the proposed system comes into practice, now could be the perfect time to invest in world class commercial laboratories.
The InterFocus team can help you develop new laboratories or improve current facilities. For more information about how we can help you, please visit our homepage or contact our dedicated team on 01223 894833.
