RCUK responds to House of Lords report

Research Councils UK (RCUK) says that it welcomes the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's report, The Implementation of Open Access, and will be considering the report's recommendations carefully as it revises its policy guidance and devises the terms of its 2014 review.

In a statement on the report, RCUK says: 'We acknowledge that communication and engagement around the policy, including its development, has been challenging despite trying to respond to the need to engage early on with a broad range of stakeholders. Lessons have been learned and we will continue to actively engage with the academic and publishing sectors as well as learned societies and other international stakeholders throughout the implementation period and beyond. This will allow us to address any immediate concerns as well as to keep a watching brief on the implementation process.

'We are keen to gather evidence of both intended and unintended consequences of the policy that can be reflected on as part of the 2014 review. We will consider the committee's recommendations for monitoring closely as we devise the terms of that review to ensure that it is both focussed and far-reaching. It is our intention to continue to monitor the implementation and consequences of the policy beyond the initial review period in 2014. Open Access is not limited to the RCUK policy so we will also continue to work with partners within the UK and internationally to share best practice and monitor developments in this fast-paced agenda.'

RCUK adds that revised guidance, which takes into account the feedback received from the Committee and other stakeholders within the academic communities, publishing sector and from learned societies and coincides with the embargo decision tree agreed on with the publishers, will be published shortly.