Spain has decided to join Open Research Europe (ORE) as a national member, the open access public scientific publishing platform supported by the European Commission. The decision was made by the Open Science Governance Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, and represents one of the most significant steps in recent years within the Spanish strategy to diversify how publicly funded research results are published. The Spanish representation in this new phase will be managed by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).
This move is not isolated but part of a broader commitment within the National Open Science Strategy (ENCA). Its core goal is clear: to reduce dependency on traditional commercial scientific publishing circuits and promote an alternative route based on open access, transparent peer review, and the legal reuse of content. For the Ministry of Science, joining ORE aligns with a broader vision of open science, where results funded with public money should circulate with fewer barriers and greater transparency.
A public alternative to the traditional model
Open Research Europe was launched in 2021 by the European Commission to facilitate free circulation of knowledge within the European Research Area. According to the Ministry, the platform promotes practices such as free access for both reading and publishing, open peer review, and early dissemination of scientific results. Additionally, it is built with open-source software and presents itself as a non-commercial alternative to traditional publishing services.
This distinction is important because the debate around scientific publishing in Europe has long centered on two issues: the cost to publish and the cost to access. In many fields, public research still depends on commercial journals with high economic barriers, either via subscriptions or high article processing charges for open access. ORE aims to change part of this logic with a model similar to Diamond Open Access, where neither the reader nor the author pays directly to access or publish. CERN, which will be the technical operator for this new phase, explicitly defines it as a community-driven alternative to the traditional academic model.
Spain is not entering this process alone. Alongside FECYT and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), eleven other European countries—Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland—are participating in this new phase of ORE. The Spanish Ministry emphasizes that this stage will be jointly financed and governed by the participating organizations, initially for five years, from 2026 to 2030. This structure signals a significant shift: ORE is no longer just a tool linked to European framework programs but is beginning to establish itself as a shared infrastructure for scientific publishing.
A shift beyond just publishing articles for free
The inclusion of Spain holds greater political and scientific significance than the announcement alone suggests. Publishing on ORE does not merely mean uploading a paywall-free article. The platform recognizes a broader range of research outputs, highlights peer review as a citable contribution, and advocates for a more open and traceable process. At a time when the European scientific system is reevaluating how it assesses research and how it rewards impact, this model could influence not only where research is published but also what types of scientific output are considered valuable.
Furthermore, the platform’s scope is no longer marginal. The Spanish Ministry notes that ORE currently hosts work published by authors from 350 institutions and 45 countries. The German Research Foundation (DFG), which has also announced Germany’s participation in this new phase, reports that the platform already contains over 1,200 published articles by more than 6,300 authors. While these figures remain modest compared to major international publishing groups, they demonstrate that ORE is no longer a small experiment but a growing infrastructure backed by an active scientific community.
Spain enhances its visibility in European open science governance
An important aspect is the role Spain can play in the future governance of this platform. DFG explains that, in the new phase, participating countries not only fund the system but also contribute to its evolution through structures such as the funders’ group and the executive committee. Although the Spanish Ministry’s announcement emphasizes membership rather than governance details, the project’s logic suggests that FECYT and CSIC will not be mere observers but active contributors in shaping the platform’s future.
The technical operator for this phase will be CERN, a choice that carries symbolic weight. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, which already manages open infrastructures like Zenodo, has formally approved acting as the host and operational body for Open Research Europe during a five-year pilot period. According to CERN, the platform is expected to be ready by fall 2026, when submissions under the expanded model can begin.
For Spain, this means two things: first, gaining an institutional pathway to strengthen open publication of publicly funded research; second, aligning with a European trend that no longer solely promotes repositories or open access mandates but also aims to build sustainable, infrastructure-based means for communicating science. In essence, the debate shifts from just “opening articles” to also “controlling the channels of scientific publication in Europe.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open Research Europe, and why does it matter?
It’s a public open access platform for scientific publishing driven by the European Commission. It matters because it allows for free publishing and reading of research results, features open peer review, and has governance aligned more closely with the interests of public science.
What role will Spain play within Open Research Europe?
Spain will join as a national member, represented by FECYT, with participation from CSIC in the platform’s collective new phase.
When will this new phase of the platform become operational?
The current platform will remain active until fall 2026, and, according to DFG and CERN, the expanded new phase will enable submissions from that point onward.
What changes compared to traditional scientific journals?
ORE promotes a non-commercial, open access model with transparent peer review and no fees for authors, reducing economic barriers and increasing visibility of the entire scientific evaluation process.