On Monday, October 5, 2026, the following message was shared to University Delegates:
Canada’s three federal research funding agencies—the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (“the Agencies”)—are pleased to announce the launch of the revised Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026). The revised policy will apply to all grants and Chairholder awards including those administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), awarded on or after January 1, 2027.
This Policy supports the Agencies’ commitment to open science, with the goal of increasing the dissemination of research results and accelerating the mobilization of research findings. Open access (OA) publishing helps maximize the reach and impact of research investments, which contributes to more open, transparent, and inclusive research practices that ultimately accelerate the transformation of research results into innovations for the benefit of Canadians.
In July 2023, we announced the review of the 2015 Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications, with the goal of requiring immediate open access for any peer-reviewed journal publications arising from agency-supported research. Since this announcement, the Agencies have engaged a wide range of partners within the research community to identify the key features of an effective, comprehensive, sustainable and equitable policy that ensures immediate, open access to publications. Engagements included an online survey and thematic engagement sessions, findings from which were published in a What We Heard Report. In 2025, a draft, revised Policy was published for feedback, and the findings from this feedback were subsequently published in a summary report.
We would like to sincerely thank you for your contributions throughout the Policy review.
Additional information on the revised Policy:
- Revised Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2026)
- Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions
- Tri-Agency Statement: Strengthening Open Access to Canadian Research Publications
- Letter to Publishers
Please feel free to share this email with your colleagues and networks to help us raise awareness about the revised Policy and its requirements.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at:
- CIHR: openaccess-libreacces@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- NSERC: openaccess@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
- SSHRC: openaccess@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Hébert, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Professor. Alejandro Adem, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Dr. Normand Labrie, Interim President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)