Open Access was supposed to level the playing field—removing knowledge paywalls, unlocking opportunities for reuse, and democratizing research. Yet the problems with the current pay-to-publish open access model are becoming hard to ignore. For development research funders committed to supporting global impact, the current publishing model raises urgent questions about value, equity, and effectiveness.  

This blog explores the key findings of a recent policy paper reviewing the open access policy options for development research funders, outlining how research funders can strengthen their open access policies and support a more inclusive and effective research publishing system.  

A Decade of Progress… or Plateau? 

Open Access has made major strides over the last decade. Funders developed open access policies and mandates and joined initiatives like cOAlition S to transform publishing norms. But this progress is stalling.  

Open Access publishing among global development research funders is declining. This mirrors trends across the global research landscape. 

This decline is despite significant investment in research publishing. Each year millions is spent on article processing charges (APCs) to publishers to achieve Open Access, and millions more indirectly in the form of institutional subscriptions to access published research. We estimate that between US$74 million and US$81 million was spent on APCs in 2023 by just 21 research funders. The costs of APCs, demands research funders take a closer look at whether the dominant pay-to-publish open access model is the right approach to deliver on their open access ambitions, and their broader objectives around societal impact of funded research.

Open Access policy – review framework  

To help funders re-evaluate their open access policies, the review evaluated policy options in three areas considering impact on research, equity, and resourcing: 

1. Access: Who gets to read the research and when? 

Immediate access to published articles is strongest position funders can take for enhancing access and equity. Embargos perpetuate exclusion, especially for researchers and research users without institutional subscriptions. 

Requiring the sharing of pre-review papers (aka preprints) offers a solution for sharing findings at the earliest possible opportunity. This is especially salient in emergency contexts, e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, but offers opportunities for accelerating research reuse for all research. But pre-review papers aren’t recognized in hiring or promotion in many contexts, which disincentivises researchers.

2. Reuse: Can research be shared and built upon? 

Licensing matters. The most open Creative Commons CC BY license allows anyone to reuse, adapt, translate, and build upon published research. More funders should mandate the most liberal forms of licensing, whilst taking into account changes in this area relating to reuse by Artificial Intelligence (AI) training models. 

3. Costs: Who pays and what are they paying for? 

APCs remain the central funding mechanism for achieving Open Access but there are critical questions about the equity and value for money of this approach. Some funders, like the Gates Foundation, have already withdrawn APC support altogether. Others now limit it to fully Open Access journals. Alternative models like Diamond Open Access, which levy no fees for readers or authors, are gaining traction—but need investment in infrastructure to scale. 

What’s next for funders? 

Development research funders can reshape research publishing for the better. But this will require bold choices: 

• Developing open access policies that maximize access and reuse 
• Moving away from costly and exclusionary pay-to-publish open access models 
• Investing in Global South-led publishing infrastructure 

Final thought: from access to equity  

Equity in Open Access is not just about who can read research—it is about who gets to publish, lead, and innovate. 

Global development research funders have historically been champions of Open Access. Yet given that progress on Open Access is stalling, some funder’s policies now need a refresh. Research funder open access policies are a key tool for helping to ensure published research is permanently publicly available and findable, and a potential means to reform the research publishing sector.

Research funders can use the evidence in this review on the impact of different policy options and alignment with their values to strengthen their open access policies and positions. Only with equitable access to both read and publish research can the full range of evidence be available to address the world’s most pressing challenges.