Making progress towards Open Access for CGIAR / CGIAR

It has long been acknowledged that there is a veritable treasure trove of agricultural research data, information and knowledge within CGIAR that, if more widely available, could increase the pace of positive impact on the agricultural sector. Recognizing this, CGIAR is actively working towards policies, practices and standards to make that a reality.  While CGIAR remains a complicated system that involves thousands of researchers working for a multitude of Centers and hundreds of partners, we are committed to making this happen. Open Access for CGIAR is one step closer, now that a draft Open Access policy has been developed and is in wide circulation among Research Centers, Research Programs, donors and partners.  The draft policy lays out a framework for how CGIAR, its Research Programs and its Research Centers would work to make their data and information broadly available. The CGIAR Open Access Policy also plots a clear timeframe for moving the process forward. An important milestone was reached last week with a meeting held at CGIAR Consortium member Bioversity International  headquarters in Rome, Italy from April 16-18, where the draft policy document was outlined and plans for mainstreaming Open Access for CGIAR were discussed.  A meeting next week in Washington – the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture will be another important forum for discussion with partners and donors ... The draft CGIAR Open Access Policy, drawn up by the CGIAR Open Access Working Group (OAWG), is now being widely discussed within CGIAR and distributed for comments to donors and partners.  Once feedback from consultations has been taken on board, the revised policy will be reviewed by Consortium Centers’ senior management before a final draft is submitted to the CGIAR Board for approval. The policy is expected to be in place by the summer.  Following policy approval, the next step will be for the OAWG to develop a set of implementation guidelines, with a goal for completion set for June 2014.  CGIAR’s move towards Open Access has strong backing from donors, the Rome meeting heard. As well as requiring open access to be applied to results of the work they fund, a number of donor organizations are offering concrete support. The policy has been heavily influenced by DFID, the World Bank and the Wellcome Trust and takes into account open access guidelines from the OECD and UNESCO ..."