FCT promotes the publication of scientific articles in open access through b-on

From 2022, science in Portugal will undergo a paradigm shift thanks to the entry into force of the contracts signed by the Online Knowledge Library (b-on) with publishers for the three-year period 2022-2024. The change allows the international Open Access movement to take shape in Portugal. The first 3 of 12 agreements have already come into force and include the possibility of publishing around 2000 articles in open access by 2022.

In line with the principles of Open Access, these contracts allow authors who are linked to b-on member institutions to publish their articles in open access in some of the journals available on b-on.

Publishing in open access makes the article immediately accessible to anyone, anywhere, at no cost to those who access it. It also means that the article can be reused by third parties, thus fostering the growth of global knowledge. On the other hand, the open access publication allowed by the agreements signed exempts the author from paying any publication fees, since this is done under the price paid annually by FCT to the publishers.

In the opinion of Madalena Alves, President of FCT's Board of Directors, "Portugal, by principle and size, must support the aims of open science. To this end, it must offer researchers the means to easily adopt this paradigm shift." He adds that "with this renegotiation, the FCT is offering researchers and university students in Portugal the possibility of not only accessing a wide range of articles, but also being able to publish the science they produce in open access at no additional cost. This is a central element in the FCT's open science policy, along with the creation of open access repositories for all the science generated by the national scientific ecosystem, which the FCT has done so well. There is still a lot to do, but I have no doubt that we are heading in the right direction."

More information at b-on