Addressing Open Access in Your Grant Application

April 9, 2014 Presented by: Janet Friskney, Research Officer

OA & Funding Agencies• Stepping-stone approach to OA from Tri-

Council• 2009-11: SSHRC’s Knowledge Mobilization

Strategy 2009-11o OA model encouraged in Aid to Journals (2011)

o “KM” component, with OA references, introduced into grants under SSHRC’s new architecture (2011)

o Research Data Archiving Policy introduced (?)

• January 1, 2013: CIHR adopts an OA policy• October 2013: Draft Tri-Council OA policy

issued for consultation – encompasses CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC

Tri-Agency Rationale“As publicly funded organizations, the Agencies have a fundamental interest in promoting the availability of findings that result from the research they fund, including research publications, to the widest possible audience, and at the earliest possible opportunity.” “Open access enables researchers to make their research results freely available to the domestic and international research community and to the public at large thereby enhancing the use, application and impact of research results.”

Draft Tri-Agency Open Access Policy

OA & Text of the Application

• Methods and Outputs/Knowledge Mobilization will be affected by OA Publishing Research Data?

o Nitty gritty detail about how you’re going to compile, analyse and publish the data

o In what digital form will you capture your data? How will you develop it? What kind of software is best? Will original programming be necessary? How will you ensure long-term maintenance?

o Should there be a formal collaboration with an information specialist from the library, or elsewhere on campus, for this application?

OA & Text of the Application

• Methods and Outputs/Knowledge Mobilization will be affected by OA Publications?

o Have you selected a journal or a book publisher that offers open access? Be explicit if you have.

o Have you investigated the institutional repository or other options at your institution?

o Have you considered including copies of your publications on an OA website you control?

o Have you established the costs related to OA publishing in the selected publishing vehicles?

OA & Budgeting• Open Access Requires Funding

What are the costs associated with making the research data Open Access? (personnel, software, maintenance)

What page charges / subvention monies are required to publish in the selected OA venues?

Are these eligible costs in the budget of the funding agency? Are there upper limits on certain budget lines?

OA & Potential Hurdles• Applicant confuses publishing research

data with a research project• Agency sets upper limit on expenses

that might be linked to OA aspects (eg. SSHRC Tools Policy), but you need more funding

• Grant runs out before you’ve reached the publication stage, but OA costs still to come

• More publications eventuate than anticipated / allowed by the grant budget

• No funds to maintain the open access database after the conclusion of the grant

OA & Potential Hurdles• Preferred publisher not open access • Preferred publisher has “moving

wall” open access that’s longer than the agency demands

• Preferred publisher won’t agree to use of institutional repository even for pre-publication version

• Commercialization agreements with private companies may need to address OA policies of funder