Open Access to Publications

Research findings funded with public money belong to the public. Everyone should be able to access them electronically and free of charge, and to make use of them if they so wish. The researchers themselves stand to benefit the most from open access: their results will be seen by more people. And they will have unrestricted access to the publications of their colleagues. This will be a big step forward for science. Industry and society will also benefit from gaining swift access to the latest scientific knowledge.

How do researchers meet the open access requirements? Either they publish their results in OA journals or OA books that are immediately freely accessible. This is the gold road.

Or they publish their results in a journal with a paywall and at the same time place them in a public database (for applications submitted prior to 1 January 2023: after six months at the latest). Books are subject to an embargo period of 12 months. This is the green road.

In the case of gold-road publications, the authors often contribute to the production costs. The SNSF offers grants to cover these costs. There is a straightforward process to apply for these grants on the online platform mySNF.

The SNSF open access policy goes hand in hand with the national strategy pursued by the Swiss higher education institutions. They decided that all publicly funded publications must be freely accessible as of 2024. Open access will soon be the standard mode of publication, in Switzerland and the world over.

You will find detailed information on publishing grants and open access in general on the dedicated website.