[Making open access: history, developments and new challenges.]

Abstract

The article traces the history and evolution of the Open Access (OA) Movement, officially lunched in 2001 with the Budapest Conference and solidified in 2003 with the Berlin Declaration. The OA Movement advocates for free and unrestricted access to publicly funded research results, asserting that scientific knowledge should be accessible to everyone without legal, economic, or technological barriers. The two main pathways for OA are outlined: self-archiving (green road) and publishing in entirely OA journals (gold road). The work also explores the concept of transformative journals and transformative agreements, designed to facilitate the transition of scientific journals to OA, even if with controversial and problematic outcomes. Additionally, the challenges and distortions of the publishing industry are analyzed, particularly the rising costs of Article Processing Charges (APCs) and the new OA strategies. The importance of alternative publishing models, such as diamond journals and OA platforms, is highlighted to promote more equitable and sustainable scientific communication. The role of major research funding bodies, including the European Commission and cOAlition S, is examined regarding policies and mandates for OA, emphasizing the need for a common commitment to overcome current legal and economic barriers. The article concludes that despite the progress made, many challenges remain unresolved. It calls for greater involvement of all stakeholders to implement concrete measures for awareness and support of OA. Only through collaboration at the political and institutional levels will it be possible to reshape the future of scientific publishing, break the oligopoly of major commercial publishers, and enable more democratic access to scientific knowledge.