PASTEUR4OA and OpenAIRE are delighted to announce that PASTEUR4OA’s Knowledge Net activities to support the development and alignment of open access policies in Europe will continue as the Knowledge Net is integrated into the OpenAIRE infrastructure from September 2016. As the PASTEUR4OA project draws to a close, this will ensure the ongoing sustainability of its vital activities within one of Europe’s major Open Science e-infrastructures.

The Knowledge Net was developed in the context of the FP7-Funded policy-support project PASTEUR4OA to facilitate knowledge transfer and support policy development across the EU. The Knowledge Net is a network of expert organizations from 33 European countries that promote the development, implementation and reinforcement of open access policies that are in alignment with the EC’s 2012 Recommendation on access to and preservation of scientific information and the Horizon 2020 requirements for open access to publications and research data. To achieve this mission, Knowledge Net members have engaged with national policy makers in raising awareness about open access, sharing best practices, providing advice and support and disseminating advocacy resources.

From September 2016 these policy-related activities will be embedded within the OpenAIRE infrastructure as part of the National Open Access Desks (NOADs) activities. Continuing activities will involve – amongst others – producing and disseminating advocacy resources, organizing meetings and webinars for national policy makers, and providing support for policy implementation. OpenAIRE, the European e-infrastructure for Open Access, has already worked on supporting open access policies. This work will now acquire a more specific and systematic workflow, capitalizing on the knowledge and related workflows gained from PASTEUR4OA.

For more information on PASTEUR4OA: http://www.pasteur4oa.eu/