Transition to immediate open access publishing under Plan S will be smooth, promise backers | The BMJ

Plan S aims to establish science publication without paywalls—a system, the coalition says, that will be more transparent, efficient, and fair, fostering a culture that ensures all scholars, and in particular early career researchers, have the opportunity to excel and advance their careers.

So far, 16 funding bodies have signed up to it, mostly national funding agencies of countries including Austria, France, and the UK, but also private funders such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome.

Critics in science publishing have said previously that the move will not support high quality peer review, research publication, and dissemination, while others said that research funding agencies should align rather than act in small groups in ways that are incompatible with each other.