We have discussed at length about APCs and the Gates Open Access Policy. A few of us have agreed that funders should take responsibility for paying a fair price for article processing charges (APCs), with one person expressing support for the policy.
I was reviewing their policy and they stipulate: 'Grantees should not pay [APC] fees out of their budget'. It does feel like the Gates policy is driven by ideology against Gold OA journals rather than pragmatism on what works best for health research communication. If the Gates Foundation and others were simply to cap APCs this would allow researchers more choice and thereby support knowledge translation and positive health outcomes. Capping APCs would also allow them to continue to explore the role of preprints, APC-free journals and other models.
Meanwhile I asked ChatGPT if it can identify any other research funders that have followed the path of the Gates Foundation. ChatGPT was unable to identify a single research funder that had taken the same decision. There are several funders that boycott hybrid journals, and this is understandable, but the Gates Foundation is the only funder that refuses to pay APCs altogether.
As Ginny Barbour has said, "I would start from the premise that it's essential that systems are designed collectively and in cooperation regionally and globally." It would be interesting to know the extent to which there is cooperation (or lack of it) among the leading health research funders. In particular it would be important to understand the research communication policies of the top 10 health research funders, listed here: https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-... The Gates Foundation ranks 16th.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org