Science and Research Union GovernmentCost not yet known
Publicly funded research should be publicly readable
The problem
Research funded from public money is frequently published behind paywalls that public institutions then pay again to access.
Why it matters
The public pays twice and reads none of it.
Proposed solution
Advocate open access for publicly funded research outputs, with a reasonable embargo where commercialisation is genuinely at stake.
How it would be implemented
Publish analysis of current access arrangements and their cost, and support open repositories.
Risks, and what we would do about them
Risk
Open access publishing charges can transfer cost rather than remove it.
Mitigation
Advocate repository-based access, not only paid open access. Publish total cost of both models.