NIHR open access policy

"Ethos

We support the principle of open access to the outputs of research, which can offer both social and economic benefits as well as aiding the development of new research and stimulating wider economic growth of the UK economy.

As one of the original funders of Europe PMC, the NIHR has had an open access policy since 2006. Our current policy is in line with recent updates by the Research Councils and follows the Government’s response to the Finch Report “Accessibility, sustainability, excellence: how to expand access to research publication” published in 2013. 

Originally launched in January 2007 (as UKPMC), Europe PMC provides a permanent and free-to-access online digital archive of the full text, peer reviewed research publications (and datasets) that arise from research funded by DH, the NIHR and other members of Europe PMC's Funders Group. The Department of Health (DH) and NIHR continue to support the fundamental principles that:

• ideas and knowledge derived from publicly funded research must be made available and accessible for public use, interrogation and scrutiny as widely, rapidly and effectively as possible
• published research outputs must be subject to rigorous quality assurance through effective peer review mechanisms
• the models and mechanisms for publication and access to research results must be both efficient and cost effective in the use of public funds
• the outputs from current and future research should be preserved and remain accessible for future generations.

Policy

Our policy applies to any peer reviewed research articles (including review articles not commissioned by publishers, final reports or executive summaries), which are supported in whole or in part by NIHR funding, that are submitted for publication from 1 April 2014, and which are published. NIHR Programme Managers in the Managing Centres monitor compliance with this policy.

Requirement of NIHR-funded researchers

• DH and NIHR require that NIHR-funded researchers seek to publish their research outputs (as outlined in the scope) in a peer reviewed journal that is compliant with the policy on Open Access.  
• Where NIHR funds are used to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) it is expected that the publication should be published in a journal that makes the output  available using the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, and allows immediate deposit of the final published version in other repositories without restriction on re-use. If this is not possible then the authors must reconsider the appropriateness of the original publication and how to comply with the point above. From the commencement of this policy (see above) the cost of APCs and other appropriate publication charges will be supported either through the original NIHR award, or where applicable an NIHR Open Access Fund. Researchers will need to contact the awarding NIHR Programme Coordinating Centre to review the correct approach. This does not apply to any recipient of NIHR funding prior to 1 April 2014, which remain under the requirements of their original contract.  
• None of the above should prevent NIHR funded authors from also depositing a copy in their own institutional or another subject-based repository should they choose to do so or be required to do so by their employing institution subject to any restrictions from the publishers."