FCT joins Europe’s leading open-access publishing platform – Open Research Europe (ORE)

A Open Research Europe (ORE), the leading European open-access scientific publishing platform supported by the European Commission, has entered a new phase, now backed by a funding consortium comprising national agencies and European research organizations, including the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). In addition to Portugal, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland have joined this initiative. CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) was selected to host and operate the platform in this new phase.

With the launch of the new ORE platform, eligibility for publication—which until now was limited to authors funded by the European Union—is now extended to researchers affiliated with institutions in countries participating in the consortium. As a result, any author based in Portugal will be able to publish on this platform at no cost to themselves or their affiliated institution.

In line with the Diamond Open Access Action Plan (2022), the initiative reinforces a community-led alternative to the traditional model of academic publishing. The goal is to promote equity, diversity, and transparency in scientific communication, while maintaining high standards of quality and integrity.

Madalena Alves, President of FCT, emphasizes that “this new phase of Open Research Europe represents a significant step forward for science and research in Portugal, by extending open access publishing opportunities to the entire national scientific community. Combined with initiatives with the same objective already developed by FCT, such as the Policy on Open Access to Scientific Publications and the b-on service, this now reinforces the commitment to a more transparent, inclusive, and accessible scientific system. The fact that eligibility is not limited to authors funded by FCT is also a distinguishing feature that promotes broader access to scientific publications.”

The European Commission participates as a permanent observer in the platform’s governance and provides dedicated financial support. CERN will provide the platform’s technical and operational infrastructure, built on the open-source software Open Journal Systems (OJS), while governance and editorial oversight will remain the responsibility of the ORE consortium.

About Open Research Europe (ORE)

The ORE consortium follows the innovative Publish–Review–Curate model, which promotes rigor and transparency in scientific publishing. Articles are first checked for integrity and compliance, then published and subjected to open peer review. Review reports are made public, and approved articles are organized into thematic collections. This approach combines quality assurance with openness, while also allowing for post-publication review. Publication under this initiative is expected to begin by the end of 2026.

Launched by the European Commission in 2021 to provide beneficiaries of EU research programs with a free open-access publishing platform, ORE was designed to make publicly funded research more transparent, accessible, and sustainable through an innovative publishing model. In addition to the technical infrastructure, the initiative is expected to deepen collaboration between CERN, the European Commission, national representatives, and research organizations. In partnership with the OPERAS research infrastructure, outreach and engagement activities will be expanded across Europe to attract eligible authors to the platform.