UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Open Access Policy

Abstract

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Open Research Data policy defines the roles and responsibilities of researchers, institutions, funders, and data repositories, aligning closely with the OECD’s guidelines. It sets clear expectations for how publicly funded research data should be managed, shared, and made accessible.

Researcher Responsibilities: Researchers are required to develop a Data Management Plan (DMP) at the beginning of their projects, detailing how they will manage and share data throughout the lifecycle of the research.

Data should be made open and accessible as soon as possible after publication, with clear exceptions (e.g., for sensitive data, intellectual property concerns, or privacy).

Researchers must ensure that data is compliant with ethical and legal standards, including obtaining informed consent from participants, ensuring privacy protections, and adhering to intellectual property rights.

Institutional Responsibilities: Research institutions are responsible for providing the infrastructure and support necessary for data management and open sharing, including data repositories, storage systems, and guidance on best practices for data management.

Institutions are required to ensure that researchers comply with the policy and actively support data sharing through training, resources, and compliance monitoring.

Funding Agency (UKRI) Responsibilities: UKRI, as the primary public funding body for research in the UK, sets the policy framework for open access to research data. It mandates that researchers funded by UKRI adhere to the Open Research Data policy and submit DMPs outlining how they will manage and share their data.

UKRI provides financial support and incentives for open data initiatives and encourages the use of publicly accessible data repositories.

Overview

Country	United Kingdom
Start date	2021
Annual Budget	n/a
Responsible organisation(s)	Funding institution
Target group(s)	Established researchers|National government|Junior researchers|Public research institutes
Policy instrument type	Policy document

Background

The policy (effective since April 1, 2022) is the outcome of the UKRI open access review, which commenced in autumn 2018. UKRI consulted on a draft position during spring 2020, receiving 350 responses.

The UK policy promotes the use of trusted, publicly accessible data repositories that ensure data is preserved, discoverable, and reusable. These repositories follow the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to ensure data is easily accessible and can be integrated into other research efforts. Repositories must provide secure data management, ensuring that sensitive or confidential information is protected in line with ethical guidelines and data protection laws.

The UK policy is clear that open access to research data must be done in accordance with ethical standards, including obtaining consent where necessary, protecting personal data, and respecting intellectual property rights.

The policy also requires that data management and sharing comply with legal regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, ensuring that privacy and confidentiality concerns are addressed.

The UK’s Open Research Data policy is aligned with international frameworks such as the OECD guidelines, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and the FAIR principles.

Objective(s)

To ensure that all publicly funded research outputs are openly available, maximizing their accessibility, usability, and societal impact while fostering transparency and collaboration in research.

Public access URL

https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-open-access-policy/

https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UKRI-14112023-Nov-2023_UKRI-Open-Access-Policy_Version-1.8.pdf

All tags

• Data governance for trust
• United Kingdom
• 2021
• Funding institution
• Established researchers
• National government
• Junior researchers
• Public research institutes
• Strategies, agendas and plans
• Roles and responsibilities of researchers

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