Launch of the Open Science Strategy 2026–2033
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Space (MESRE) is launching its Open Science Strategy (OSS) today, which will span the next eight years.
This ambitious new policy reaffirms France's ongoing commitment to more transparent, collaborative, and accessible research
France's pioneering role in open science is being reaffirmed
The indicators of the French Open Science Barometer (BSO) measure the success of French policy: the open-access publication rate has risen from 38% to 61% for all publications, from 40% to 66% for scientific articles, and from 54% to 86% for publications resulting from research funded by the National Research Agency. Furthermore, open science has a positive impact on the visibility of French research: French articles that have adopted open science practices see an increase in citations of up to 19% (https://doi.org/10.1162/QSS.a.487).
Following the two national plans, a long-term strategy
The Open Science Strategy (OSS) 2026–2033 aims to strengthen and accelerate the changes already initiated through the two previous national plans. It takes a long-term approach, with a strategic vision and four-year action plans.
It outlines the key goals of open science, which should make it possible to:
- greater scientific influence and autonomy,
- more cumulative and collaborative research,
- research that is more reproducible, responsible, and sustainable,
- research that fosters innovation and extends beyond the academic world.
The SSO also identifies major challenges that persist and can hinder open science practices, such as the diversity of disciplinary practices, resistance to data sharing, and insufficient recognition of software as a major contribution to research. The results of clinical trials, although subject to European regulations that require their disclosure, are not systematically made public.
The first action plan, covering the period 2026–2029, is structured around eight strategic objectives:
OS1 – Encourage changes in practices to make open science the default principle
OS2 – Strengthen governance and policy instruments for open science
OS3 – Strengthen the ecosystem of open science services and infrastructures, the pillars of scientific sovereignty
OS4 – Strengthen France’s position in the European and international open science landscape
OS5 – Structure and support open, reliable, and high-quality scientific publishing
OS6 – Consolidate the framework for openness and sharing of research data in accordance with the FAIR principles
OS7 – Strengthen the openness and promotion of source codes and research software
OS8 – Ensure the transparency of clinical trials