FOI2026/00654: UKRI Open Access policy
Case reference FOI2026/00654
Received 29 July 2026
Published 6 October 2026
Request
Request received: 29 July 2026
Freedom of Information request relating to UKRI's Open Access policy, which was adopted in 2021.
In particular, I have three questions arising from the associated Equality Impact Assessment:
1. Pursuant to question 5 of the first table (page 5), what evaluation, if any, has been made of "unintended EDI consequences"?
2. What sources informed the row in the second table about early-career researchers (pages 9–10)? (For example, footnote 2 gives an FCDO source for the row relating to race, but no reference is given for early-career researchers.)
3. Further to the explanation/justification given on page 15, what evaluation, if any, resulted from UKRI's resolution to "monitor the policy through its implementation" with respect to "the precise degree to which author choice may be affected"?
Response
Response sent: 24 August 2026
Full details of this response are provided in the attached document.
Documents
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