Guest post written by the European Commission

As the landscape of open access scholarly publishing continues to evolve, Open Research Europe (ORE) remains at the forefront and is preparing to enter the next phase of development.  

Since its launch in 2021 by the European Commission with F1000, ORE has published over 1,000 articles. More than 5,400 authors from 1,000 institutions and 2,500 peer reviewers have contributed to the platform, advancing open science.

With the support of national research funding bodies and research-performing organisations alongside the European Commission, ORE will soon step into a new chapter that brings research funders and institutions together to accelerate open access scholarly publishing. In this new phase ORE will be hosted and operated by CERN using the open-source publishing software Open Journal Systems (OJS), developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) and customised to meet the ORE needs.

Scheduled for launch in autumn 2026, the next chapter of ORE aims to strengthen collaboration between research funders and institutions while focusing on transparency, accessibility, and quality in open access publishing.

A shared vision for transparent and equitable publishing

The commitment to enrich open access scholarly publishing and lay the foundation for a system that reflects the principles of open science has always been at the heart of ORE’s mission.

With the financial support of national research funding bodies and research performing organisations, ORE will build on the platform’s achievements so far to further strengthen transparency, equity, and quality in scholarly publishing.

Backed by a nearly €17 million budget for the period 2026–2031, ORE will enable researchers from participating countries and institutions to publish without fees, thus expanding significantly the eligibility to publish in the platform beyond EU funding beneficiaries.

Advancing open science through collective action

What distinguishes this next phase for ORE is the joint commitment to advancing open science practices. “For NWO, the development of the Open Research Europe platform aligns exceedingly well with its institutional open access strategy, which focuses on stimulating and encouraging alternatives to open access beyond commercial parties and the APC-model,” points out Marcel Levi, President of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and vice-chair of the Science Europe Governing Board, “What makes the new ORE stand out for us is its inherently collaborative nature: a broad coalition of funders and institutions from across Europe jointly building a sustainable open access publishing infrastructure and advancing open science practices such as open peer review. Hosting the platform at CERN sends a powerful message to academic communities that the new ORE is firmly grounded in public values and committed to safeguarding publicly funded research.”

When it comes to open access scholarly publishing, a real transformation can only happen through joint international efforts involving both the research community and public institutions and funders. “Open Research Europe represents a pivotal opportunity to transform how science is shared and advanced,” stresses Tjasa Dobnik, Director of the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), “A true breakthrough in open science requires coordinated international action by both the research community and public authorities. ARIS reaffirms its strong commitment to supporting and further developing ORE, recognizing its significant benefits for smaller research communities, including Slovenia.”

Research communities are set to lead and play an active role in ORE’s next phase, as also emphasised by Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Spanish Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities: “Researchers affiliated to Spanish institutions will have the opportunity to lead and contribute to ORE’s scholarly publishing philosophy: open, free to readers and authors, and publicly governed.”

Full list of supporting funders and research institutions

• Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung)
• French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche)
• French National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique)
• Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt)
• Ministry of Universities and Research (Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca)
• Dutch Research Council (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek)
• The Research Council of Norway (Norges Forskningsråd)
• Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia)
• Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije)
• Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forskningsrådet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd)
• Swedish Research Council for the Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Forskningsrådet för miljö, areella näringar och samhällsbyggande)
• Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet)
• Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología)
• Spanish National Research Council (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)
• European Organization for Nuclear Research
• Swiss National Science Foundation

Promoting a culture of collaborative innovation

The next phase of ORE represents a key step toward towards a shared vision for the future of open access scholarly publishing. Promoting cost-effectiveness and accountability to the research community and the public, this initiative aims to reach critical mass and attain economies of scale, thereby positioning itself as a sustainable and credible alternative publishing venue operating for the public good.

In line with open science practices, ORE fosters the active participation of research communities in developing an equitable, accessible, and fair publishing system for all involved parties. By embedding open and equitable publishing practices within research institutions, ORE’s next phase will set the stage for an inclusive platform promoting transparency, accountability, and cross-border collaboration in scientific research, where all researchers from financially supporting countries and institutions can publish freely.

Why choose Open Research Europe?

For researchers across Europe and beyond, ORE offers compelling advantages that traditional publishing platforms cannot match.

First and foremost, researchers can benefit from increased equity in accessing publishing services without incurring fees, thereby making their work globally accessible under open licences for lawful reuse. The platform supports the publication of a broad spectrum of research outputs, encouraging the dissemination of various forms of content, from software and data to workflows and confirmatory or negative results.

Among the many benefits of ORE is also the open publication of research results throughout the research process, which supports research integrity and reproducibility, thus increasing trust in science, along with a collaborative investigation and timely sharing of new findings. By embracing transparent scholarly dialogue through post-publication open peer review, ORE not only improves the quality of research outputs but also fosters a community-driven initiative that invites participation and enriches conversation. The transparency of the process ensures that all contributions are credited, supporting an environment where authorship and intellectual merit are recognised and rewarded.

ORE embraces the international character of modern scholarship, enabling researchers across the globe to participate and reap the benefits of the platform.

Stay tuned for further updates

As we prepare for the roll out of ORE’s next phase before the end of the year, stay tuned for more updates and follow our communication channels. Your support and participation are vital in making ORE a leading reference platform for the research and innovation community and to position it as a community-driven, sustainable open access publishing service operating for the benefit of society at large.

Follow Open Research Europe on LinkedIn for the latest news about the platform.