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Lords Committee to hold extended meeting about Open Access

25 January 2013

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The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will host a whole day of evidence on the Government’s open access policy on Tuesday 29 January

The Committee will hear from 10 witnesses throughout the day including publishers, learned societies, universities, Research Councils UK (RCUK), Hefce and the Minister of State for Science and Universities,  David Willetts MP. They will quiz the witnesses on plans to implement the Government’s open access policy. They will discuss concerns about the possible impact on the quality of UK research, consultation by the research councils, embargoes on publication of research outputs  and the future of learned societies.

Commenting, Lord Krebs, Chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, said:
“Open access has the potential to revolutionise how research results are shared. Whilst there is a broad welcoming of this Government initiative, there have been some concerns expressed about how the research councils have gone about implementing it. Our short inquiry is an opportunity to clarify the concerns of the research and publishing communities, and to assist the research councils in their revision of open access policies and guidance before they come into effect on 1 April.”


The evidence sessions will last most of the day on Tuesday 29 January. The full schedule for the day is:

10.40am – Committee Room 4 of the House of Lords.

  • Professor Ian Walmsley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research, ASUC), University of Oxford;
  • Professor Matthew Bennett, Vice-Chancellor responsible for Research, Enterprise and Internationalisation, University of Bournemouth; and
  • Professor Maggie Dallman, Principal, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London.

11.40am – Committee Room 4

  • Steven Hall, Managing Director, IOP Publishing;
  • Richard Mollett, Chief Executive, Publishers Association; and
  • Dr Rita Gardner, Director, Royal Geographical Society.

2.15pm – Committee Room 3

  • Professor Rick Rylance, Chair of RCUK;
  • Professor Douglas Kell, RCUK Information Champion; and
  • David Sweeney, Director (Research, Innovation and Skills), Hefce.

3.30pm – Committee Room 3

  • Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Science and Universities, BIS.