APPENDIX 7
Memorandum from Office of Science and
Technology
Qu: The Science Minister
undertook to provide a note on the extent to which the OST has
an influence in the way Research Councils spend their money, with
particular reference to their policy on access to scientific publications.
A: The Science Budget
is allocated to Research Councils after detailed discussions between
them and the DGRC. In such discussions Research Councils set out
their priorities, and allocations are made in the light of these
Each Research Council's Delivery Plan will set out how the Council
will deliver its objectives against its allocation, and progress
is monitored as part of the new performance management system.
The Government's policy is to facilitate a level
playing field for the future of scientific publications, which
will enable authors who wish to publish in author-pays journals
to do so. After consultation with its stakeholders RCUK has submitted
to Government its position on the dissemination of and access
to UK research outputs, and they are free to fund the implementation
of this from within their allocations
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