European Research Platform Expands Preprint-Centric Publishing Model
Major European funders scale open-access publishing through a transparent review framework.
1Platform Expansion Strategy
The European Commission is scaling the Open Research Europe platform by early November to support over 2.5 million researchers. This initiative integrates a publish-review-curate model, allowing preprints to undergo open peer review. By making reviewer identities and reports public, the project aims to fundamentally transform traditional scholarly communication standards across European institutions.
2Institutional Funding Commitment
Eleven national funders, including the German Research Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation, have joined the effort. The project is backed by a 16 million euro budget allocated through 2030. The European Commission provides 60 percent of these funds, while the remaining balance is contributed by participating research organizations and partner institutions.
3Operational Governance Structure
While the platform is governed by a collective of European funders and research organizations, operational hosting is managed by CERN. Located near Geneva, the particle-physics laboratory provides the technical infrastructure required for the platform. This centralized management ensures that editorial services remain free for researchers, despite the massive scale of the operation.
4The PRC Alliance Formation
A separate group of 40 global entities, including the Gates Foundation and Harvard University libraries, formed the Publish, Review, Curate Alliance on October 28. This coalition promotes open publishing initiatives independently of the ORE expansion. Members include diverse stakeholders like eLife, OpenRxiv, and Europe PubMed Central, signaling a broader industry shift toward transparency.
5Lessons from eLife Implementation
The eLife journal adopted the publish-review-curate model in late 2022, sparking significant controversy regarding academic reputation. Critics argued that rejecting manuscripts during review is essential for maintaining integrity. Consequently, eLife lost its impact factor within two years, and indexing services like Web of Science altered how they categorize the journal's published research output.
6Indexing and Metric Challenges
The Open Research Europe platform currently lacks an impact factor and does not intend to pursue one. This creates uncertainty regarding how bibliographic databases will index the expanded content. Unlike eLife, which uses qualitative assessments like fundamental or inadequate, ORE organizes literature into collections based on specific topics or funding mechanisms instead.
7Scalability and Oversight Concerns
Stanford metascientist Mario Malički notes that while the model reduces costs, it introduces complex management challenges. Scaling the platform requires rigorous oversight regarding who performs checks and makes final curation decisions. As the volume of articles grows beyond the 1,500 published since 2021, maintaining consistent quality control remains a critical operational hurdle.
8Future of Scholarly Communication
This collective effort represents a shift toward a more sustainable and transparent publishing ecosystem. By prioritizing open access and public review, the initiative challenges traditional subscription-based models. The long-term success of this transition depends on how the academic community balances the need for rapid, open dissemination with established requirements for rigorous, consistent peer review.
Original article: Nature — European Research Platform Expands Preprint-Centric Publishing Model