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SGC Catalyst Model Participatory Research to Policy Model: Ensure Open Access to Research Findings

Governments provide most of the funding for research, and public institutions employ a large portion of all researchers. However, most research continues to be published behind paywalls that limit public access to research findings. Paradoxically, those that contributed to the research – communities, taxpayers, and research institutions – have to pay to access the results.

Open access increases the return on investments in research by ensuring the results of government-funded research can be read and built on by anyone.

Outcomes

  • Increased value of the research by increasing the likelihood of benefitting society
  • Researchers benefit from having the broadest possible audience.
  • Increased openness, integrity, and reproducibility of scholarly research

How to Do This

The following examples draw on existing SGC program guidelines. The examples are intended as a guide and can be adapted to suit the needs of particular programs and contexts.

Require free and open access to research results and findings

Encourage proposals to include funds for disseminating research results through an open-access publishing platform

G. PUBLIC ACCESS TO SGC-FUNDED RESEARCH

AB 2192 (Stone, 2017) requires that all state-funded research projects “shall provide, for free, public access to any publication of a peer-reviewed manuscript describing state agency-funded knowledge, a state agency-funded invention, or state agency-funded technology.”8 SGC will require all Climate Change Research Program-funded research to submit any of the materials outlined in AB 2912 to be submitted to the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program’s Adaptation Clearinghouse after acceptance and no later than upon publication. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research shall make all such manuscripts publicly available through the Clearinghouse within one year of publication by the journal. Proposed research budgets are encouraged to include funding for disseminating research results and findings through an open-access publishing platform.

SOURCE: Climate Change Research Program Round 3 Solicitation (p. 18)