UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) commissioned Research Consulting to support the development of its monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for its open access (OA) policy. The framework seeks to enable UKRI and the broader sector to assess progress towards OA, including levels of compliance with the UKRI policy and impacts on research stakeholders and society more broadly. M&E efforts are in line with UKRI’s commitment to assess critically the effectiveness and impact of its policy requirements, as well as demonstrating accountability and value for money from public spending, in the case of both articles and long-form outputs. UKRI is also committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders in the development and implementation of both the OA policy and the M&E framework. It should be noted that the present report presents Research Consulting’s recommendations, which will be considered by UKRI in the development of its final M&E framework.

This study has been funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).