MANY RESEARCHERS are openly critical towards the proposal, which is intended to cover projects that are granted funds from 2020 and onwards.
"I agree that research should be accessible, and the idea of open access is good, but the time plan is too short and the plan risks to put early career researchers in a tricky position," says Dieter Müller, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
THERE IS NO CONSENSUS among the major Swedish research funding bodies. Formas and Forte support the proposal, whereas the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences do not. Many European researchers are frustrated. Almost 2,000 of them, several Umeå researchers included, have signed an open petition against the plan. Their concerns regard the predominant rules for acquisition of qualifications, where publications in prestigious journals are highly ranked.
"Plan S, in its current state, hinders researchers to publish their findings in many well-established scientific journals. Researchers who after 2020 receive funding from a research funding body that has signed onto the plan must then choose purely open access journals or journals that allow simultaneous publications in open archives," says Mats Almqvist, head of section at the University Library.
OTHER USUAL QUESTIONS that researchers highlight are: What happens if the rest of the world — particularly Asia and North America — do not join? How are international collaborations and the recruitment of international postdoctoral fellowships affected?
"The proposal has been developed without gaining the support from the research community, which is counterproductive," says Mats Almqvist, who estimates that a majority of Swedish researchers are against the current proposal.
He also thinks that some researchers are already worried about making mistakes: When does the plan come into effect? What happens if I fail to follow the rules — do I have to pay back my funding?
"The implementation of the plan still raises a fair few questions, and the proposal is likely to be amended. When that's been done, the details will become more clear," says Mats Almqvist.
CURRENTLY, THE LIBRARY has a few agreements with publishers that completely or partly fulfil the requirements of Plan S, among them is Frontiers, and more agreements on open access with journals are on the way.
"You're welcome to contact the publication and research support team at the University Library if you have any questions about specific journals," says Mats Almqvist.
CAMILLA BERGVALL