FCT promotes the publication of open access scientific articles through b-on
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From 2022 onwards, science in Portugal will undergo a paradigm shift thanks to the entry into force of contracts signed by the Online Knowledge Library (b-on) with publishers for the three-year period 2022-2024. This change will enable Portugal to join the international Open Access movement. The first three of twelve agreements have already come into force and include the possibility of publishing around 2,000 articles in open access in 2022.
Following the principles of Open Access, these agreements allow authors affiliated with b-on member institutions to publish their articles in open access in some of the journals available on b-on, in addition to allowing readers to access the articles made available.
Open access publishing makes the article immediately accessible to anyone, anywhere, at no cost to those who access it. It also implies the possibility of reuse of the article by third parties, thus promoting the growth of global knowledge. On the other hand, open access publication permitted by the agreements entered into exempts the author from paying any publication fees, since this is covered by the price paid annually by FCT to publishers.
In the opinion of Madalena Alves, Chair of the FCT Governing Board, “Portugal, by principle and size, should support the goals of open science. To this end, it should provide researchers with the means to easily adopt this paradigm shift.” She adds that “with this renegotiation, the FCT offers researchers and university students in Portugal the possibility of not only accessing a wider range of articles, but also publishing their scientific work in open access at no additional cost. This is a central element in the FCT's open science policy, together with the creation of open access repositories for all science generated by the national scientific ecosystem, which the FCT has invested in so well. There is still much to be done, but I have no doubt that we are heading in the right direction."
More information at b-on