Open Research Europe platform officially launched
Service universally available has its first dozens works available for reading
The European Commission officially launches, this Wednesday, 24th, the platform Open Research Europe. The service, which is freely available for the publication of works from researchers funded by Horizon Europe (2021-2027) and Horizon 2020 programs, will allow everyone - researchers and citizens - to have free access to the latest scientific discoveries. As disclosed in an official note from the European Commission, the platform provides a direct response to the main difficulties often associated with the publication of scientific results - including delays and obstacles to the reuse of results, and the high costs for publication.
As reported here last November, submissions for publication on the platform have opened in December 2020. Now, with the official launch, it is possible to read around 40 scientific papers published, from different research areas. In the search options on the platform, the user can perform a textual search or by research area: Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities and Arts. The platform supports research from all the scientific domains.
The platform now launched is referred to by the European Commission as a contribution to open, fast and cost-efficient publication, as well as a means to respect the open access conditions associated with its funding: immediate open access, as required by Horizon Europe , and automatic availability in a general repository. Open Research Europe offers researchers a publishing site that allows them to quickly share results and knowledge, facilitating open and constructive debates on research. The platform also has, as presented by the EC, a wide range of parameters to measure the scientific and social impact of articles and provide information on their use and reuse.
The European Commission also argues that the launch is intended to be an example of support for open science practices, which intends to encourage other funders, especially at a national level, to do the same.
Currently, between 91% and 95% of all publications evaluated by peers and funded by the Horizon 2020 framework Program are available in open access. Even though these percentages are extremely high in a worldwide perspective, the Commission defends the goal that all articles published from research funded by it are available in Open Access. In the case of the Horizon Europe, publications should be freely accessible as soon as they are published - which will be possible through the new platform.
The publication process at Open Research Europe is completely open and departs with the provision of pre-prints within ten days after submission, following rigorous checks. Then, it is followed by a fully open - and citable - peer review. The reviewed articles are published together with the review notes, with the names of the reviewers, and all versions of the article are linked and citable independently. At the end of the process, the articles that go through the peer review are sent for indexing in databases and repositories.
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Go to the Open Research Europe platform webpage.