ARC Head Aidan Byrne Working Toward Open Access. (October 12, 2012)

Aidan Byrne took over being CEO of the Australian Research Council (ARC) on July 23^rd, replacing Margaret Sheil who after almost five years in the job left to take up the position of provost of The University of Melbourne.

Professor Sheil had been equivocal as regards instituting open access publication of work funded by the ARC although the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) requires it within 12 months after initial publication.

Now Professor Byrne in an interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education last week has given strong indication that the ARC will follow the NHMRC's lead.

Some excerpts:

Given my previous life [as an academic researcher], my preference for disseminating information generated by public money as broadly as possible, it was my view that we should also follow suit [at the ARC].

...I have not heard a dissenting comment why my policy at this organization should be different. So I think we are heading to a regime where both of the major funding institutions in Australia will have an open-access policy. …For us to have a different policy from the NHMRC doesn’t make a lot of sense... To some degree there’s some overlap between what we fund and what the NHMRC funds. And having a simpler regime, whether you like it or not, is probably easier for the publishers to deal with as well.

Asked if he had the authority to implement an open-access policy:

There’s of course a process to go through. Even though I’m the chief executive officer, decisions are actually made by the minister. I don’t see any major issue in that. … I’ve brought this up with the minister in my conversations with him. … I think he’s supportive, he is indeed.