Blow to open access Plan S as European Research Council withdraws
Disagreements over hybrid publishing caused research funder to part ways with coalition
Open-access publishing initiative Plan S is in the spotlight again following the decision by the European Research Council (ERC) to withdraw its support. The move has divided opinion within the research community.
The initiative requires that, from 2021, researchers receiving funding from bodies signed up to Plan S must publish in compliant open access (OA) journals or platforms. It is run by Coalition S, a group of national research funding organisations, set up in 2018 with the support of the European commission and the ERC.