Requirements Open Access

The SNSF requires its grantees to publish their publications openly.

Open-Access Requirements of the SNSF starting January 1, 2023.

Grantees funded as of January 1, 2023 must adhere to the following guidelines:

• All scientific articles and books or book chapters resulting from SNSF-funded research must be made available without an embargo period (i.e. immediately).
  How to keep author rights to avoid embargo
• All scientific articles resulting from SNSF-funded research must be published under a CC-BY license.
  What is a CC license?

How to Fulfill the Requirements of the SNSF?

• OA-publication venue: You publish your results in OA journals and OA books, thus making them immediately freely accessible. The SNSF pays the publication fee (APC).
  Funding of APCs by the SNSF
  How to find Open Access journals
• Subscription-based journal with Open Access option: Your article appears in a journal for which readers have to pay. To make it Open Access, a publication fee must be paid. UZH has agreements with publishers for some journals for which this publication fee has already been paid.
  Agreements with publishers
• Secondary publication (=self-archiving): You publish the results in a subscription-based journal and simultaneously deposit your manuscript in a public archive (e.g. ZORA).
  Self-archiving on ZORA

Support by the SNSF

Further information on the SNSF's Open Access requirements can be found on the SNSF website. Additionally, authors can use the Journal Guide by ChronosHub to verify for their article publication whether the journal of their choice fits the requirements by the SNSF.

Open Access requirements of the SNSF

Journal Guide by ChronosHub > Login > in the menu left choose "Journal Guide"

Funding of APCs by the SNSF

Be aware: Since February 2024, the SNSF no longer funds Open Access publications in Special Issues. In addition, from January 1, 2025 onwards, all grantees must submit their unpaid invoices (for APCs) via ChronosHub.

Funding by the SNSF

Horizon Europe is the EU's framework program to promote research and innovation. It obliges its researchers to ensure open access to their publications and their research data. Since April 2025 Switzerland has the status of an associated member with regard to "Horizon Europe".

Information by the Federal State about Switzerland's participation in the Horizon package

Open Calls & Programme Horizon Europe

Open Science requirements of the European Research Council

How to comply with Horizon Europe's mandate for publications (OpenAIRE)

To fulfill the requirements of the SNSF, the University Library provides the institutional repository ZORA and various tools to find Open Access journals.

ZORA (for self-archiving in Open Access)

How to find Open Access journals

How to keep my author rights to allow for secondary publication/self-archiving?