Open Access - information for researchers (2024) — Swiss National Science Foundation

What is this about?

The resource sets out Switzerland’s national guidance on open access, making openness the default while balancing ethics, privacy, and intellectual property. It requires researchers to provide open access to publications (via repositories or open journals), use Creative Commons licensing, persistent identifiers, and follow FAIR data principles. Responsibilities are outlined for researchers (rights retention, funding acknowledgment, data management), institutions (training, repositories), funders (supporting infrastructure), and publishers (interoperability, author rights). Exceptions for sensitive or commercial data are allowed but must be justified. Monitoring emphasizes quality metadata, transparency, code and data sharing rather than just counting outputs. Equity and responsible openness are key themes, promoting zero-embargo access when possible and supporting multilingual, inclusive communication. The policy aligns with international initiatives (Plan S, EOSC) and provides clear, practical steps to help Swiss researchers and institutions comply efficiently.

For whom is this important?

ResearchersResearch institutionsPolicy makersFunding institutions

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