UK Innovation: Finch report argues the case for open access scientific research | eGov monitor | The Information Daily

“Dame Janet Finch has released a report encouraging scientists to give public access to their findings. The report recommends that the current system, in which readers must subscribe to academic journals, should be replaced by an open access system which is free of charge. The panel behind the paper has called on the government to cover the costs of publishing with public funds. The report recognises that the change will take a number of years to implement and initial short term costs could reach up to £60mn a year, but argues that it will be worthwhile in the long run. Dame Finch said, ‘Everyone agrees that greater open access would bring huge economic and public benefits. The challenge though is how we move to this model without damaging UK research, peer review or scientific publishers’. The report has been welcomed in academic circles, with neuroscientist Professor Elizabeth Fisher saying that open access publishing would be ‘tremendously useful for our research’. Dame Finch has said that open access is the future and if it is not embraced then the UK could be left at a disadvantage academically. She said, ‘The UK should recognise this change, should embrace it and should find ways of managing it in a measured way’.