Open access has many benefits. For the ARC, whose grant programs are publicly funded, the knowledge generated by our funding should be freely and openly available to the public. Open access helps maximise the impact of research. Openly accessible publications are read and cited more frequently than closed access publications. Even more critically, they are accessed significantly more often by readers outside academia. For research to generate economic or societal impact, it must be accessible to policymakers, industry, not-for-profits, and the public. The ARC’s Open Access Policy applies to research outputs and associated metadata that arise from ARC funded research. Version 2026.1 policy takes effect on 1 July 2026 and applies to all ARC grant schemes that open for application on or after this date. Key policy requirements (Version 2026.1): Journal articles and conference papers must be made openly accessible immediately upon publication Monographs, edited volumes, book chapters, and research reports must be made openly accessible as soon as possible and within 12 months of publication Creative works are strongly encouraged to be made openly accessible where it is possible to do so A Digital Object Identifier must be provided for all outputs, including creative works. The Australian Research Data Commons provides guidance and services to support researchers in meeting this requirement Please refer to the full 2026.1 policy document for all policy requirements. The ARC Open Access Policy was first introduced in 2013 and has had multiple updates. The Grant Guidelines for each scheme round will identify which version of the policy applies. If no version is specified, then version 2021.1 applies. Supporting open access to research The ARC has published an updated Open Access Policy to support greater access to publicly funded research. The updated policy: commences on 1 July 2026 applies to all ARC grant schemes that open for application on or after that date strengthens open access requirements for ARC‑funded research Read the updated ARC Open Access Policy: ARC Open Access Policy 2026 Other versions 2021 Open Access Policy 2017 Open Access Policy 2015 Open Access Policy 2013 Open Access Policy Frequently Asked Questions When does the 2026 ARC Open Access Policy commence, and how do I confirm if it applies to my scheme or project? The 2026 Open Access Policy applies to all ARC grant schemes that open for application on or after 1 July 2026. The relevant date is when applications open in Research Management System (RMS), not when the grant is awarded or when the project begins. If a scheme opened before 1 July 2026, the previous policy applies, even if it closes or is awarded later. ARC scheme grant guidelines specify which version of the Open Access Policy applies. Please review your scheme’s guidelines to confirm requirements. All versions of the ARC’s Open Access policy are available on the ARC website, including previous versions. What outputs does the ARC’s 2026 Open Access Policy cover? The policy applies to the following research outputs arising from ARC-funded research: Post-print or Author Accepted Manuscripts; Publisher’s versions of record; and Other externally reviewed research outputs of an equivalent academic standard (for example, peer-reviewed creative works). The policy does not apply to: Outputs that have not been peer reviewed or refereed; or Research datasets. Requirements vary by output type, including timeframes and licensing. You should review the policy to confirm what applies to your outputs. What must researchers and institutions do to ensure that books and book chapters comply? Requirements for books and book chapters remain largely unchanged. The key requirements are that they: must be openly accessible within 12 months of publication should use an open licence, with a preference for Creative Commons CC-BY must have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) must have a metadata entry in an institutional repository. Researchers should plan for open access early and consult their institution’s library or research office. Most institutions already have experience supporting these requirements. Can I use alternative open access repositories? You may use topic or discipline-specific open access repositories. To comply with the policy, you must ensure that: the version of record published to the repository is the post peer review Authors Accepted Manuscript; the output has a DOI a compliant metadata record is available in your institutional repository the output has an appropriate open access licence. What are the requirements for rights retention and copyright? The policy does not prescribe who must retain rights. However, for journal articles and peer-reviewed conference papers, either the author(s) or the institution must retain sufficient right to apply a CC-BY licence. The ARC strongly encourages institutions to consider rights retention policies to support open access and licencing. Institutions should seek expert advice when developing these policies. What should I do if a publisher rejects rights retention or impose embargoes? The policy provides 2 compliance pathways: publishing with an open access publisher; or depositing the Author Accepted Manuscript in an open access repository. You should plan for open access at the project planning stage. Your institution’s library can advise on available supports and publishing options, including resources such as the Directory of Open Access Journals and the Directory of Open Access Books. Before submitting your work, confirm that your chosen publisher supports open access. If not: check whether your institution has a rights retention policy that enables repository deposit contact the publisher to explore options for compliance. If no compliant pathway exists, you cannot publish ARC-funded research with that outlet, and you should explore other outlets to publish your work in. If a research output does not meet open access requirements at the time of Final Report submission, you must include a compliance statement that: explains why the output is not yet compliant, including any legal, cultural or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property considerations and steps already taken sets out a clear pathway to compliance and expected timeframes identifies who at the institution is responsible for ensuring compliance. The ARC uses this information to monitor compliance and identify systemic barriers to open access to inform future policy, guidance and system improvements. Why is the ARC minting grant DOIs? Minting Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) is part of the ARC Persistent Identifier (PID) Action Plan (2025). Grant DOIs provide globally unique, standardised metadata for ARC-funded research. They support tracking research outcomes beyond final reports and align with national and international best practice. The grant DOI will include the ARC’s ROR (Research Organisation Registry) and information provided in application forms and collected at award such as: the Administering Organisation’s and any Eligible Organisations’ names and ROR; named participants and their Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID); the project description (the title and summary descriptions); project funding information (such as grant funding amount and funding period). The ARC will provide grant DOIs to successful recipients and will publish them through the ARC Data Portal. Why must metadata be publicly available within 3 months, and what must it include? Metadata supports discovery, attribution and long‑term visibility of research outputs. Researchers and institutions must make metadata publicly available in an institutional repository within 3 months of publication. Metadata must include: author(s) and their ORCIDs; title; type of research output; publisher; ARC grant DOI; ARC ROR output DOI a description of the research output publication or presentation date access status (open or closed) licence associated with the research output. Where available, you should include additional persistent identifiers. Does it matter who mints the DOI, and when must it be created? All ARC funded research outputs covered by the policy must have a DOI. The DOI may be minted by the publisher, the institution or via an open access repository. The DOI must: be included in the institutional repository metadata record which must be published within 3 months of publication be provided to the ARC in the Final Report. Institutions can access support for DOI minting through services such as the Australian Research Data Commons. How should ARC funding be acknowledged? All research outputs must: acknowledge ARC funding include the grant identification number, the grant DOI and the ARC ROR. Suggested wording: ‘This research was funded in whole or in part by the Australian Research Council https://ror.org/05mmh0f86 [grant number(s)] [grant DOI(s)].’ Include this statement in the acknowledgements section and, where possible, in publisher metadata. Adding this information allows the tracking of the impact of funding, which helps to demonstrate the value of funding research. How will the ARC monitor compliance? Compliance forms part of grant agreement requirements and is currently assessed through Final Reports. The ARC is exploring lower burden approaches to compliance monitoring, including automated data matching, to support both institutions and researchers.