Open Access Policy

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.