Tri-Agency policy on Open Access
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) support Open Access and have released the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026), which requires immediate Open Access to peer-reviewed research articles arising from agency-funded projects. Researchers should plan for Open Access at the time of publication and retain sufficient rights to share their work openly.
Update: Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026)
Canada's federal research funding agencies, CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC, have released the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026). The policy requires that peer-reviewed research articles arising from funded research be made immediately and freely available at the time of publication through a Canadian institutional repository or trusted Canadian platform, with no embargo period. Researchers are also required to retain sufficient rights and apply an open licence to enable compliance.
Which policy applies to me?
- Grants awarded between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2026: Researchers must ensure that peer-reviewed journal publications arising from Agency-supported research are made openly accessible within 12 months of publication under the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2015).
- Grants and Chair awards awarded on or after January 1, 2027: Researchers must comply with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026), which requires the peer-reviewed research article to be immediately and freely available in a Canadian institutional repository or made available through a trusted Canadian platform at the time of publication even where the article is freely available on the publisher’s website.
How to comply
The following requirements apply to grants and Chair awards awarded on or after January 1, 2027 under the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026).
To comply with the policy, researchers should ensure they:
- Deposit the peer-reviewed research article in a Canadian institutional repository, such as Scholarship at UWindsor, or made available through a trusted Canadian platform at the time of publication, even where the article is freely available on the publisher’s website. The article must be immediately and freely available with no embargo period, under an open license.
- Retain sufficient rights to share their work and apply an open licence.
- Consider publishing in an Open Access journal or platform that supports compliance with funder requirements.
Learn more about paths to Open Access and how the Leddy Library supports researchers in meeting Open Access requirements.
University of Windsor Senate policy on Open Access
The University of Windsor's Open Access policy complements funder requirements by encouraging broad dissemination of research through the institutional repository.The University Senate has approved an Open Access Policy, reinforcing UWindsor's dedication to making research widely accessible. The policy strongly encourages all researchers to deposit their scholarly publications in Scholarship@UWindsor, the University's institutional repository. Researchers receiving Tri-Agency funding are also expected to comply with applicable funder requirements.
Note: The Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026) introduces new requirements for grants and Chair awards awarded on or after January 1, 2027. Researchers receiving Tri-Agency funding should follow the requirements of the applicable Tri-Agency policy in addition to University policies.
Other policies
Many other Canadian funders also have open access policies, including the Canadian Cancer Society, the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, and the International Development Research Centre.Internationally, funders in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia also have open access policies. Policies internationally tend to require open availability of research immediately at publication.
To verify whether your funding agency has an OA policy, consult Open Policy Finder for information on research funders' and publishers' open access policies.
Please do not hesitate to contact us to help you understand any OA policy requirements.