THE cOAlition S reaffirmed its commitment to the mission of accelerating Open Access. complete and immediate support for scientific production, while broadening its vision to promote the rapid, open, transparent, and equitable sharing of reliable scientific knowledge. Seven years after the launch of Plan S, this international coalition of research funding and support organizations has defined a New strategic plan to advance Open Access during the period 2026-2030.
“We remain determined to accelerate full and immediate Open Access.”“We want our funding to promote the public good of science through open practices, recognizing multiple pathways to Open Access and working collaboratively with other key stakeholders,” stated Mari Sundli Tveit, Executive Director of the Research Council of Norway and Chair of the cOAlition S Leaders Group. “We are now adding an explicit focus on transparency, equity of participation and trust in scientific knowledge.”
A cOAlition at an international level
The cOAlition S, launched in 2018, emerged as an informal coalition of organizations committed to implementing Plan S, an initiative aimed at making Open Access to scientific publications the norm. Over the years, the coalition has expanded globally and has played a central role in the adoption of Open Access strategies, influencing policies and publishing agreements that allow authors to publish without cost per article.
In Portugal, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN, is one of the partners in the initiative., by promoting digital infrastructures and services that enable more open and accessible science. The cOAlition S project fits into this context, contributing to a more transparent, equitable and sustainable scientific ecosystem.
Strategy 2026-2030: priorities and actions
cOAlition S's new strategy is based on three priorities:
- Strengthening the foundations for full, immediate, sustainable and equitable Open Access. – includes reviewing the principles and guidelines of Plan S, promoting more sustainable models such as the 'Publish-Review-Curate (PRC), diamond Open Access and preprints, as well as strengthening strategic partnerships.
- Supporting digital infrastructures that enable Open Access – focus on the development and maintenance of technical and service infrastructures that ensure the immediate, free, and sustainable publication of scientific articles, also considering the impacts of Artificial Intelligence on open science.
- Explore financially sustainable and equitable publishing models and monitor results. – developing mechanisms to monitor the impact of Open Access policies and researching models that ensure economic sustainability for funders and higher education institutions.
THE strategic plan It also foresees a second phase (2028-2030), which will deepen sustainability, equity and the valuing of merit in scientific communication, as well as mitigate possible biases and inequalities in the publishing system.
With this approach, cOAlition S reinforces its position as a global driver of more open, accessible, and reliable science, aligning its mission with the emerging challenges and opportunities of the contemporary scientific landscape.
