> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.openresearch.wtf/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# OpenResearch WTF - March 2024
- URL: https://www.openresearch.wtf/openresearch-wtf-march-2024/
- Published: 2024-04-09T15:34:38.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-31T12:35:51.000Z
- Description: March 2024: the Gates Foundation drops APCs and mandates preprints, plus the first State of Open Data supplementary report.
- Author: Mark Hahnel
- Tags: News, Open Access, Open research, #card

# Content

## [The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2025 Open Access Policy Refresh](https://gatesfoundationoa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/24810787662100-Policy-Refresh-2025-Overview?ref=openresearch.wtf)

No APCs!  
Preprints required  
“We will work to support an Open Access system and infrastructure that ensures articles and data are readily available to a wider range of audiences”

Huge

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/45/ef/45ef5edd-7737-4b73-a169-a85c335bb1f1/content/images/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-09-at-15.05.04.png)

## [Figshare, Digital Science and Springer Nature Publish “The State of Open Data: From theory to practice”](https://www.digital-science.com/state-of-open-data/?ref=openresearch.wtf)

For the first time in the history of [The State of Open Data ](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24428194?ref=openresearch.wtf)comes a supplementary report that expands upon the results of our years of surveys. [From theory to practice](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25232899?ref=openresearch.wtf) offers real-life perspectives on the [opportunities and challenges of sharing research data openly](https://www.digital-science.com/blog/2023/11/the-state-of-open-data-2023/?ref=openresearch.wtf), giving us unique viewpoints as told by members of our research community – industry, funders, academic institutions, and publishers.

## [Research Excellence Framework 2029 open access consultation](https://www.ref.ac.uk/guidance/ref-2029-open-access-policy-consultation/?ref=openresearch.wtf#section-proposed-ref-2029-oa-policy-for-consultation)

The four UK higher education funding bodies are opening a consultation concerning the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 Open Access Policy.

  
# Tools

## [OurResearch receives $7.5M grant from Arcadia to establish OpenAlex, a milestone development for Open Science](https://blog.ourresearch.org/ourresearch-receives-7-5m-grant-from-arcadia-to-establish-openalex-a-milestone-development-for-open-science/?ref=openresearch.wtf)

With this 5-year grant, OurResearch expands their open science ambitions to replace paywalled knowledge graphs with OpenAlex.

## [Innovative Open Research Publisher PeerJ Joins Taylor & Francis](https://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/peerj-joins-taylor-and-francis/?ref=openresearch.wtf)

All PeerJ journals offer high-quality peer review and rapid publication, supported by PeerJ’s own submission and peer review platform, and dedicated contributor support. Articles are selected on scientific value and methodological soundness, providing a forum for world-class research addressing many of the globe’s current challenges. PeerJ also hosts a digital hub for the International Association for Biological Oceanography, promoting the advancement of knowledge of the biology of the sea.