Launch of the French Open Science Strategy 2026-2033
The ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Space (MESRE) unveils its French Open Science Strategy for the next eight years. This ambitious roadmap, announced during the 4th OECD Blue Sky Forum on data and indicators for Science, Technology, and Innovation, underscores France’s ongoing commitment to more transparent, collaborative, and accessible research.
France: a driving force in Open Science since 2018
Open science is based on a fundamental principle: making research methods, materials, and results as accessible as possible. Since the adoption of the first National Open Science Plan in 2018, France has played a leading role in this field. The results are significant: the rate of open access publications has increased from 38% to 61% for all publications and from 40% to 66% for research articles. Articles incorporating open science practices have also seen a citation increase of up to +19%, demonstrating the positive impact of open science on the visibility and recognition of French research.
Additionally, the sharing of data, software, and clinical trial results has seen notable progress. France has also strengthened recognition for researchers engaged in open science, particularly through awards dedicated to theses, data, and software. These advancements reflect a collective momentum in favor of open science.
A long-term strategy to address major Open Science challenges
The French Open Science Strategy (Stratégie de science ouverte - SSO) 2026-2033 is designed with a long-term perspective, succeeding the two previous national plans, which covered three- to four-year cycles. This new strategy aims to consolidate and amplify ongoing transformations by relying on a strategic approach and four-year action plans.
It outlines the major ambitions of open science, which must enable:
- Enhanced academic visibility, impact and sovereignty,
- More cumulative and collaborative research,
- More reproducible, responsible, and sustainable research,
- Research that fosters innovation and extends beyond the academic sphere.
The SSO also identifies persistent challenges that may hinder open science practices, such as the heterogeneity of disciplinary practices, resistance to data sharing, and insufficient recognition of software as a major contribution to research. While clinical trial results are subject to European regulations requiring their disclosure, they are not systematically made public.
A concrete action plan for 2026-2029
The first action plan of the SSO, covering the period 2026-2029, is structured around eight strategic objectives. Four of these are cross-cutting and concern the transformation of practices, governance, and tools for open science policy, the development of the ecosystem of services and infrastructures, and France’s integration into the European and international open science landscape. The other four objectives target major research outputs: publications, data, software, and clinical trial results.
France plays a central role in defining demanding international standards for transparency in research methods and outputs. The SSO, through its strategic approach and concrete action plans, guides this momentum to strengthen the openness of science while ensuring the protection of knowledge.