Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a crown corporation that supports research in developing countries, has brought in an open access policy. In an article written on Biomed Central‘s blog, Naser Faruqui, the IDRC’s Director of Technology and Innovation, discusses the decision:

“We know that OA articles tend to be more widely-read than subscription-based articles and that developing-country researchers rely more on OA journals than do those from developed countries. Most scholarly journals, whether OA or subscription, are peer reviewed and recent research shows that OA journals are approaching the same scientific impact and quality as subscription journals, particularly for those funded by article processing charges.

While the case for OA to research as a public good is relevant to all research funders, it is of particular importance to IDRC and southern researchers. This is because OA is not just a question of accountability, it is critical to IDRC's vision of improving people's lives. Research cannot lead to development if knowledge is not freely available to all who might use it, and build on it, to change people's lives. And we know that southern researchers do not have the same level of access to paid journal subscriptions as do their northern counterparts.”

Read the full article here.

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the world's strongest policy in support of open research and open data. If strictly enforced, it would prevent Gates-funded researchers from publishing in well-known journals such as Nature and Science.”

Read more in the linked blog post.  A two year grace period, until 2017, is available to researchers.

– Effective on all new agreements as of Jan. 1, 2015
– Publishers permitted a 12 month embargo; but no longer allowed after January 1, 2017
– Articles published under a CC-BY license
– Foundation will pay the necessary fees
– Data underlying published research results will be accessible and open

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Open Access Policy: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/how-we-work/general-information/open-access-policy

Canada's federal research granting agencies-the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), as well as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and in collaboration with Genome Canada-have joined forces to help address digital infrastructure challenges through the consultation document Toward a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada.