Position of Portugal and the FCT regarding Plan S

Portugal, through the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, and in particular the FCT, recognizes the importance of and welcomes the European Plan S initiative promoted by Science Europe, especially for enshrining the principle that the results of publicly funded research should be available in immediate open access.

A pioneer in the international open access movement, Portugal has been at the forefront of implementing practices for making scientific publications available in open access, creating infrastructure and introducing institutional benchmarks and regulations since the early 2000s.

The MCTES has defined as a priority the commitment of science to the principles and practices of Open Science, embodied, among other documents, in the Guiding Principles for Open Science, published in February 2016, and in Council of Ministers Resolution No. 21/2016, of April 11, 2016, which set out guidelines for the establishment of a National Open Science Policy, namely open access to publications and scientific data resulting from publicly funded research and the guarantee of the preservation of publications and scientific data in order to allow for their heritage preservation, reuse, and continued access.          

Portugal, through the FCT, has been at the forefront of implementing actions and measures aimed at transitioning to an Open Science environment, some of which are now included in Plan S, namely the publication of an Open Access Policy at the FCT with eligibility limited to Article Processing Charges (APCs), the conditioning of APC payments on the granting of open licenses, or the introduction in the Research Unit Evaluation Regulations of a provision that prevents the assessment of the merit of the units evaluated through metrics (e.g., Journal Impact Factor) or the incentive to create research data management plans.

In this regard, FCT supports the objectives of Plan S and will actively collaborate to ensure they are achieved, recommending that its configuration and implementation program be discussed at the national and international levels and, above all, with the scientific community, in order to guarantee an effective, equitable, and sustainable transition to Open Science, pursuing the essential principles that inspire and guide it. In particular, the following are considered essential:

• Consider and value existing repository networks, taking advantage of the resources they integrate and capitalizing on the investment made, recognizing that Green Open Access can be a useful and legitimate way to make published scientific information immediately and unrestrictedly available, in conjunction with the strengthening of copyright retention mechanisms;

• Ensure that transition models, particularly through the "golden route," do not reinforce the monopolistic nature of the scientific publishing market. It is therefore considered essential to implement limits on APCs; 

• Strengthen positive incentive mechanisms within science evaluation and funding systems, respecting the diversity and specificity of scientific and disciplinary areas and practices;

• Recognize and adapt open access publishing models to new forms of science creation and communication, favoring open infrastructures and services that enable their portability and supporting repositories and other platforms and services originating in academic communities.

FCT believes that careful implementation of Plan S will be a significant step towards open access as an academic communication system and a major boost for open science as a whole, with all its potential to generate significant benefits for science and society, some of which are already materializing.