Just a little longer and it will be 2020, the year in which the ambition to realise 100% open access must be achieved. This fourth open access eZine reveals the journey towards this goal. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a need for international cooperation in terms of negotiating strategies and the conditions imposed by funders on publications. Scientific research is international and knows no boundaries. The VSNU is therefore fully committed to the international circuit as a member of the EUA and through participation in panels and conferences. In short, ‘International alignment’ is the common thread for the future.
A great deal has been achieved over the past year. We are focusing on five key points from the open access roadmap for 2018-2020, which was explained in the previous magazine. In the context of the negotiations with publishers, the negotiations with Elsevier naturally stand out. And under the heading of ‘archiving’, we have worked hard on the pilot project which aims to give concrete shape to Section 25fa of the Copyright Act, also known as the Taverne amendment. This pilot, which allows articles to be shared with a wide audience at an early stage, was launched under the title ‘You share, we take care’.
There are plenty of international developments. The most striking is Plan S as launched by Science Europe in September 2018; the VSNU has also responded to this. The broad-based support for open access publication from Europe and beyond provides real impetus.
This eZine gives readers the opportunity to contribute their views on how to achieve the goal of 100% open access. You can contribute by responding to the polling questions given for the various topics.
Major steps still need to be taken to further strengthen the link between science and society. In the year ahead, the VSNU will be bringing together various themes such as valuing and rewarding academics, open science and open access. Not only do we expect this development from ourselves, but also from the parties we work with. International ‘alignment’ is therefore very important if we are to achieve the desired disruptive effect regarding the transparency of science which is paid for with public funds. We are eager to see what we can achieve in this area and look forward to the resulting social impact.
Pieter Duisenberg
President of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands
Previous open access eZines:
The Netherlands: paving the way for open access
Foreword
