The Open Access policy of NWO

In 2005, NWO signed the Berlin Declaration on open access to knowledge in the sciences and humanities. NWO deploys a wide range of initiatives to facilitate Open Access and in Europe it is leading the way in this field.

Basic premises

• In NWO's strategy free access to research results, Open Access, is an action point within the priority 'Encouraging and facilitating knowledge utilisation'. NWO will increase the scope of its Open Access policy and encourage researchers to make the results of their publicly funded research freely available to everyone.


• Together with other stakeholders, NWO is undertaking efforts in national and international circles to realise a 'publishing model' in which publications are financed by the author and/or funding body and are then freely accessible, so that everyone – irrespective of their location in the world and where they work – can benefit from this without having to pay for access.


• In the new NWO Regulation on Granting (Section 30 and further) of 1 May 2011, NWO affirms an existing policy: data that arise from NWO-funded research are the joint property of NWO. By explicitly stating this in the Regulation on Granting NWO, clearly alerts researchers to the importance of sharing data. That NWO imposes requirements on making data available is nothing new: this requirement was already included in calls for specific funding arrangements. NWO has now declared that rule 'generally binding' by including it in the NWO Regulation on Granting. The rule therefore automatically applies to all funding instruments of NWO.


• NWO does not want to own publications or data but instead wants to ensure that these are shared and to prevent knowledge disappearing behind closed doors.

Policy instruments

As a grant-awarding body for scientific research in the Netherlands, NWO undertakes various initiatives to facilitate Open Access.

• For researchers who receive an NWO grant, NWO makes various funds available for Open Access publication, for example the Incentive Fund Open Access - publications and the Incentive Fund Open Access – conference contribution.


• The NWO Division for the Humanities has realised a pilot for the setting up of new Open Access journals or the conversion of existing journals into Open Access journals (proposals awarded funding in February 2010). This pilot was followed by an NWO-wide funding round for Open Access journals (deadline now passed).


• NWO encourages publishers to experiment with the Open Access publication of books via the project OAPEN-NL (Open Access Publishing in European Networks).


• NWO calls upon scientists with an established reputation to set a good example and to opt for Open Access publication. Many already do this. Several talk about their experiences in the video clips on this website.


• NWO encourages researchers to opt for the so-called Golden Road, in other words publishing in Open Access journals or Open Access books while safeguarding the scientific quality by means of peer review. Motto for the Golden Road: 'If it is possible then do it!'


• In (sub-)disciplines where Open Access publication is not yet possible, NWO encourages researchers to pursue the Green Road, namely depositing (pre-)publications in a public database, for example a repository in their own discipline and/or own university. For PhD theses, NWO supports the current practice: theses defended at a Dutch university must be deposited in the repository of the institution concerned.


• In the Netherlands, NWO works together with other interested parties (Koninklijke Bibiotheek, university libraries, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and SURF) to develop new publishing models for sharing research results.


• NWO is working together with researchers from various disciplines and other interested parties to develop an Open Access policy for data. See also Open Access for data.


• NWO participates in Science Europe (previously European Heads of Research Councils) and the European Science Foundation and in so doing contributes to Open Access at a European level.


• Besides funding research, NWO also manages institutes. In that role NWO is also working on an Open Access policy in consultation with the institutes.

Budget

At the end of 2009, NWO earmarked € 5 million for stimulating Open Access. At the end of 2011 more than € 120,000 is still available.