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  • Updated Policy on Open Access

Updated Policy on Open Access

Tri-agency issues updated policy on Open Access 

What you need to know 

The Tri-agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026) is an update to the 2015 policy. It applies to all peer-reviewed research articles, funded in whole or part, by Tri-agency grants awarded on or after January 1, 2027. 

The Policy doesn’t apply to articles that are not peer reviewed and other forms of scholarly communication (for example, blogs, book chapters, infographics, monographs, podcasts, etc.). It also doesn’t apply to student and postdoctoral awards and fellowships. 

New requirements 

Researchers affected by the Policy will need to take several steps throughout the publication process to ensure compliance: 

Preparing your article for submission 

Acknowledge Agency contributions to your article. You should quote the funder name and funding reference number (such as the FRN or Application Number) and any applicable persistent identifiers (PIDs). 

Submitting your article to a journal 

Inform the publisher of your obligations and rights under the Policy when submitting an article for publication. A template letter is provided for you to include alongside your submission. 

Upon acceptance 

Retain the rights you need to share your article and apply an open license, such as a Creative Commons (CC) license. To maximize access and reuse, the preferred option is the least restrictive license, CC BY, whenever possible. 

Upon publication 

Ensure your article is immediately and freely available in your institutional repository (Aurora), or trusted Canadian platform at the time of publication, even if the article is freely available on the publisher’s website. 

Learn more 

Email your funding agency