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4 cover nationaal plan open science smallNational Open Access Strategy in Switzerland and National Plan Open Science in the Netherlands

The Rectors’ Conference of Swiss Higher Education Institutions adopted a national Open Access Strategy, which envisages that all publicly funded publications must be freely accessible by 2024. And National Plan Open Science in the Netherlands calls for full open access to publications in 2020; making research data optimally suited for reuse; examining together how open science can be an element of the evaluation and reward system for researchers, research groups and research proposals; and establishing a ‘clearing house’ for all information regarding all available research support.

Read about the Swiss Open Access Strategy: Towards the Unrestricted Publication of Research Outputs here.


The key ambitions of the National Plan Open Science in the Netherlands are the following: 

  • Full open access to publications in 2020. 
  • To make research data optimally suited for reuse: To set clear and agreed technical and policy-related preconditions to facilitate reuse of research data, including provision of the necessary expertise and support.
  • Recognition and rewards: To examine together how open science can be an element of the evaluation and reward system for researchers, research groups and research proposals. 
  • To promote and support: To establish a ‘clearing house’ for all information regarding all available research support.
With the ambitions set out in this plan the Netherlands is responding to the Amsterdam Call for Action on Open Science published in 2016, the conclusions of the Competitiveness Council in May 2016, and to the letter to Parliament concerning open science by the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science (January 2017). Open access to publications and optimal reuse of research data are becoming the standard for all knowledge institutes and research areas. The motto here is as open as possible, as closed as necessary. Many technical and organisational measures are still required to ensure full compliance with this standard. 

To encourage the necessary cooperation, respond to new developments and monitor progress, the participating parties, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, are setting up the Open Science National Platform. The Platform is open to new participants and will involve researchers in particular in the ambitions and actions. During the event on 9 February 2017, at which the Plan was presented and the Platform launched, the Dutch Open Science Declaration was signed by the parties involved.

More information at www.openscience.nl.