All SNSF research publications to become freely available as of 2020

As of 2020, all research publications produced by SNSF-funded projects are to be freely available in digital format

Based on the decision by the National Research Council, the Swiss National Science Foundation will expect all publications to be available free of charge as of 2020 as Open Access is quickly becoming the accepted standard in science.

Until now, less than 50% of the publications produced in SNSF- funded research have met this requirement.

Matthias Egger, President of SNSF said, “The researchers themselves stand to benefit the most from Open Access: their results will be seen by more people. And they will have unrestricted access to the publications of their colleagues. This will be a big step forward for science.”

Researchers will be able to publish their results in OA journals and OA books. Alternatively, they can archive their publications in public databases.

Up until now, the SNSF has covered the costs of publishing OA journals and as of April 2018 they will also pay for OA books and for OA book chapters from October 2018.

It will simplify the application process for publication grants, making it easier for researchers to meet the Open Access requirements.

The SNSF’s new Open Access policy fits in with the national strategy defined by the Swiss higher education institutes in January 2017.

According to the strategy, all publications financed with public money will need to be freely accessible as of 2024, which will allow scientific knowledge to spread faster through the economic and political sphere and through society as a whole.