Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Open Access policy review and the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the research sector, if he will ensure that UKRI provides (a) researchers, (b) institutions and (c) publishers adequate time to implement the outcome of the review.

The UKRI Open Access Review has included a series of consultation stages and analysis. The final policy recommendations are now moving through the final agreement process and the outcomes of the Review will be published as soon as the process is complete. It is anticipated that these will be published this summer.

I recognise the pandemic’s impact on the research sector, and the ability of the research sector to adapt to any new arrangements has been an important consideration throughout the UKRI Open Access Review. I can assure you that this has been taken into account in the formation of the policy and implementation considerations.

For peer-reviewed research articles the proposed policy start date will be 1 April 2022, while the policy for monographs is proposed to start from 1 January 2024. UKRI will work closely with stakeholders in the lead up to the policy start dates to ensure any questions or issues are addressed.