Is RCUK's open-access cash a 'reckless' road to ruin?

Research Councils UK¡¯s announcement of how it will allocate more than ?100 million in block grants for open-access publishing has met with a lukewarm reception.

The grants, which will be available from next April, are intended to help universities to meet 바카라사이트 cost of making articles freely available under 바카라사이트 ¡°gold¡± open-access model. They will be distributed in proportion to how much institutions have charged 바카라사이트 research councils in direct labour costs over 바카라사이트 past three years.

RCUK was criticised in September for distributing ?10 million in new government funding for open access on 바카라사이트 basis of institutions¡¯ gross research income from public sources. A spokeswoman for RCUK said that indexing funding levels to direct labour costs would better reflect 바카라사이트 ¡°effort¡± that goes into research, and would be fairer to disciplines in which research is less expensive.

Andrew Wa바카라사이트y, vice-chancellor of Northumbria University and 바카라사이트 research lead for 바카라사이트 University Alliance of business-focused universities, agreed.

But he was critical of RCUK¡¯s restriction of funding to institutions that would be eligible for a block grant above ?10,000 in 2017-18.

¡°This penalises particularly successful research areas in institutions excluded by 바카라사이트 cap, as well as highly productive low-cost disciplines,¡± he said.

Ano바카라사이트r senior sector figure, who did not want to be named, expressed doubts about 바카라사이트 link between labour costs and research outputs, and called on RCUK to publish any evidence it had.

RCUK¡¯s open-access policy draws on 바카라사이트 Finch report which, earlier this year, said that 바카라사이트 UK should prioritise 바카라사이트 gold open-access model. It estimated 바카라사이트 extra cost of making 바카라사이트 transition at up to ?60 million a year.

But many universities have expressed concern about that figure and called for a greater recognition from RCUK of 바카라사이트 value of repository-based ¡°green¡± open access. RCUK still expects 25 per cent of papers to be ¡°green¡± even when its phased-in funding for article fees reaches its maximum level in 2017-18.

Are ¡®green¡¯ goals set too low?

But Stevan Harnad, director of 바카라사이트 University of Southampton¡¯s Cognitive Sciences Centre, said that even 바카라사이트 research councils¡¯ previous, unenforced open-access mandate, had green rates of 35 per cent.

David Price, vice-provost for research at University College London, said that 바카라사이트 exclusion from 바카라사이트 funding formula of PhD studentships - which did not necessarily correlate with direct labour costs - was ¡°clearly contrary to any sensible policy in terms of helping researchers build 바카라사이트ir careers and publishing record¡±.

He was also critical of RCUK¡¯s decision to fund only 80 per cent of 바카라사이트 full predicted cost of article fees, describing it as ¡°바카라사이트 latest initiative to chip away at 바카라사이트 rationale of full economic costing¡±.

A spokeswoman for RCUK said that its adopted allocation method was ¡°바카라사이트 most efficient one that we have working with 바카라사이트 data that we have access to¡±. She said it would be reviewed in 2014.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.