26 Mar 2026
Open access publishing platform Open Research Europe is entering a new phase of operation
Open Research Europe (ORE) is the European Commission’s open access publishing platform for research funded by all EU programmes. Launched in 2021 to promote innovative, no-fee open access publishing, the platform is now preparing to enter a new phase.
Backed by a nearly €17 million budget for the period 2026-2031 and co-funded by the European Commission by up to €10 million, the new phase of ORE is set to begin operations as a collectively supported publishing service in the autumn of 2026, with CERN operating the platform. Leveraging on its success, the publishing service will be driven by national research organisations from 11 countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland). In addition to researchers benefiting from EU grants, collective funding will also enable researchers from participating countries to publish without fees, thus expanding significantly author eligibility. ORE was conceived within the European Research Area (ERA)’s policy framework with the objective of ensuring open access to high-quality EU-funded research results, strengthening the free circulation of knowledge and maximising the impact of publicly funded research. In the five years since its launch, the platform has seen a steady growth and uptake among the research community, with more than 1,200 articles published and over 6,300 authors from more than 3,000 institutions worldwide.
The platform began its journey with a vision to redefine scholarly publishing, not only by offering researchers a no-fee open access platform, but also by enriching public knowledge and fostering trust in science through an innovative publishing model marked by rigorous and open post-publication peer review.
The vision has been for ORE to seamlessly integrate publicly funded research within the ERA, as outlined in a scoping report published by the Commission in September 2024. This is why efforts have intensified to evolve ORE into a collectively funded, large-scale, open access platform serving the public good.
By embedding open and equitable publishing practices within research institutions, ORE’s new phase will establish the foundation for an inclusive platform promoting transparency, accountability, and cross-border collaboration in scientific research.
For more information:
Open Research Europe platform