EuChemS has issued a Position Paper on the implementation guidelines of Plan S.

On 4 September 2018, ‘cOAlition S’, a coalition of national research funders, supported by the European Commission, launched ‘Plan S’, an initiative to accelerate the transition to open access in scientific publishing. Currently, several national funding bodies in Europe have committed to Plan S, others have not. The plan consists of 10 principles for the transition to Open Access and more specific implementation guidelines were published by cOAlitionS on 27 November 2018.

“EuChemS supports the transition to Open Access (OA) in scientific publishing. Access to research and dissemination of knowledge is a fundamental purpose of our community’s values and aims. As a representative for research chemists and chemical societies across Europe, we welcome the conversation and the debate that this has engendered and look forward to working together with all stakeholders on finding sustainable solutions that secure the interests of researchers, societies, funders, librarians and publishers involved in the important task of disseminating scientific research.

Although the implementation guidelines provide some clarifications, we believe the consequences of Plan S remain unclear and could undermine the visibility and vitality of European research on a global stage if not properly implemented.”

On 29 January, EuChemS attended the High-Level Open Science Policy Platform (OSPP) meeting in the European Parliament, with discussions touching upon indicators for research engagement, and the role of rewards and incentives. The OSPP is a high-level group tasked with providing feedback and guidance to the European Commission on the implementation of Open Science in Europe. EuChemS is represented in the group by Executive Board Member Wolfram Koch.