The Open Access Surge

Abstract

This article follows the development of Open Access and adumbrates the importance of mandates from funders and others in increasing the number and proportion of Open Access materials. Two current supporting European FP7 projects, PASTEUR4OA and FOSTER, are discussed.

The initiatives discussed above, both national and transnational, concentrate on:

Maximising the effectiveness of policies in terms of increasing the number and proportion of OA scholarly communications;

Harmonising policies where possible, in order to avoid the perceived burden of multiplicity of requirements;

Practical support for all involved in the stages of the research process.

It seems clear that these initiatives have the potential to move OA forward, and signal another five years of development.