Welcome

OSI is a diverse, global group comprised of many of the world’s most knowledgeable and trusted experts on open access. These experts are advising the world’s most influential institutions, and as a group, OSI is advising the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In service to these institutions, and to the global research community, OSI’s Plan A will help advance the world toward greater open access. Plan A participants will:

• Conduct much needed studies to fill in gaps in our understanding of the open research challenge
• Create new and needed infrastructure tools and resources to help accelerate our progress toward open
• Develop and distribute open educational materials, and conduct outreach in the research community to help familiarize researchers with open concepts and resources
• Convene, survey, and communicate with all stakeholders, and work in partnership with UNESCO to help build our community’s common ground, and
• Lead ambitious efforts to open more climate change research and health/medical research.

Who is this effort for and why does it matter? The movement to “free” our information is a global phenomenon that has been transforming culture for decades now. These pressures have led to massive innovation, but also unintended consequences, like the rise of fake news and the death of newspapers. It is therefore vital that the changes we make to research communication are well considered—that we fully understand the facts behind our reform proposals, that we work on reforms as a community since there are so many different and equally valid interests and stake, and that we understand our common interests and so we can work together toward our common goals and strive for an open research future that is rich, robust, and sustainable.

Plan A is a necessary first step toward making real and lasting improvements to the future of research communication. From this strong foundation, the sky’s the limit.