Open Science
Regulations relating to the application of the open access policy
The FNRS and its associated funds support the implementation of Open Access in the context of publications resulting from research that it finances.
In accordance with the decree aimed at establishing a policy of free access to scientific publications (open access), with regard to articles accepted in a periodical appearing at least once a year, beneficiaries are required, upon acceptance of the article by the publisher, to deposit the accepted and corrected version of their manuscript in the digital archive attached to their institution (Green Open Access).
Furthermore, the direct publication of scientific results according to the diamond model (Diamond Open Access) is strongly encouraged.
Beyond deposit in an institutional archive, beneficiaries remain free to opt for direct publication with open access at the author's expense (Gold Open Access). In this context, the FNRS and its associated funds authorize the allocation of costs to the allocated research budget up to:
- €2000 for the publication of scientific articles and book chapters;
- €5,000 for the publication of monographs (including doctoral theses) and collective works.
For more information, please see the following resources.
- Regulations relating to the application of the open access policy to scientific publications resulting from research programs supported by the FNRS and associated funds, adopted by the FNRS Board of Directors on 12/12/2023.
- Open Access – Frequently Asked Questions
Research data management plan
Recipients of new PDR, WELBIO INVESTIGATOR PROGAMMES and WEL-T funding undertake to submit a data management plan written in the same language as the research plan. The Data Management Plan (DMP) must be submitted, in parallel with the ex-post data collected, during a period which extends from the start of the research program to the end of it for the WELBIO INVESTIGATOR PROGAMMES and the WEL-T. For PDRs, this period extends up to 2 years after the end of the project.
For further information, please consult the explanatory note.
Portal for scientific publications from FWB universities
In its PHARE 20.25 and 100 plans, the FNRS is committed to continuing the evolution of its regulations and supports for researchers in order to align itself even more with the principles of open science. To this initiative was added the project, for the institution, to highlight the contributions of researchers from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and to strengthen their visibility in all areas of research, whether exact and natural sciences, human and social sciences, or life and health sciences.
It is in this context that the PeriScops project was born. This public web platform presents publication data from the 5 universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The portal is created by harvesting metadata from the repositories of these universities which have adopted their own methods of supplying their institutional archives. It constitutes the showcase of French-speaking Belgian research to the international scientific community.
Put online in 2025, this platform is the result of long-term work, carried out thanks to close collaboration between universities, and under the financial and operational coordination of the FNRS. Technical development was entrusted to ULiège, which ensured its successful implementation. This project demonstrates the collective commitment of the academic institutions of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in favor of open science and the promotion of research.
Research evaluation
Sice the call for Grants and Mandates 2025, Open Science (OS) practices implemented by researchers can be valued as part of the evaluation of applications. This initiative is part of the signing of the agreement on the reform of research evaluation, signed by the FNRS in June 2023.
Concretely, candidates are optionally invited to present their OS practices in an additional section of the application file. This narrative format will allow evaluators to appreciate their efforts in this area. The comprehensive OS-CAM model provides examples of practice, but does not constitute the sole reference source for this purpose.
It should be noted that these practices constitute a valuable element of the file (and more particularly of the CV), without constituting a compulsory evaluation criterion (CA of the FNRS of October 3, 2024).
Instructions for this section are available in the downloadable model documents.
Open science initiatives supported by the FNRS
The FNRS grants financial support to the following initiatives/organizations:
PCI
Peer Community In (PCI) is an editorial model launched in 2017 by French researchers from INRAE operating on a system of recommendation and proofreading of prepublications ( preprints ). Peer Community In relies on open archives, which guarantees a publication system free of open access publication fees. There are currently 16 disciplinary PCIs, one multidisciplinary PCI dedicated to Registered reports , as well as a Diamant magazine Peer Community Journal .
At its meeting of December 10, 2024, the FNRS Board of Directors decided to financially support the organization until further notice, starting in 2025.
SCOAP3
Launched in 2014 and managed by CERN, SCOAP3 is a vast initiative to provide open access to scientific publications in high energy physics. It brings together more than 3,000 libraries and research institutes in 44 countries, and today allows open access consultation of nearly 90% of publications in this field.
The Fund has supported the initiative since 2019.
ORCID
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a free, unique and permanent identifier assigned to researchers, allowing them to be clearly distinguished and their scientific contributions (articles, data, patents, etc.) linked to their profile, whatever their organization or discipline. The FNRS joined the ORCID community in 2018.
For any questions or additional information regarding the theme of open science, our team is at your disposal. Contact us at 📧 open-science@frs-fnrs.be and we will respond to you as soon as possible.