Funding Agency Requirements: Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications

The  Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications was updated on October 5, 2026 and will apply to agency grants and Chairs awarded on or after January 1, 2027.

Key requirements:

• Immediate open access. All peer-reviewed research articles must be made freely avaible immediately upon publication, with no embargo.

• Immediate deposit. A version of the article (version of record or accepted manuscript) must be immediately deposited in a Canadian institutional repository such as Spectrum or via another trusted Canadian platform, even where the article is already freely available on the journal publisher’s website or already published in an open-access journal.

• Rights retention. Authors must ensure that they retain sufficient rights to deposit a version of their article in a repository immediately. If they do not publish in a journal that already allows this they must inform their publisher of their obligations under the policy upon submission of the manuscript. The Agencies have sent a letter to all major publishers informing them of the policy requirements.

• Open licence. Authors must apply an open licence to the version used to comply with the policy. The Agencies strongly encourage authors to use the least restrictive licence (preferably, CC-BY), wherever possible.

• Funding acknowledgement. Authors must acknowledge funding in the article, quoting the funder name and funding reference number (such as the FRN or Application Number) and any applicable persistent identifiers (PIDs).

The policy will apply to:

• Research articles published in peer-reviewed journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings

• Grants and Research Chairs, including those administered through the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat.

The policy will NOT apply to:

• Scholarly publications not destined for peer-reviewed journals or peer-reviewed conference proceedings (ex: book chapters, monographs, infographics, blogs, podcasts)

• Student and postdoctoral awards and fellowships (though Tri-Agency encourages using no-cost open access options where possible).

In cases where the journal and/or publisher questions authors about them retaining rights over the content of their article and making the Accepted Manuscript or Version of Record open access in a repository at the time of publication, authors should contact the agency that funded the research to determine the author’s options to comply with the Policy.

Unsure about versioning and peer-review? Learn about Versioning and OA publishing.

Before submitting an article to a journal, review where you are aiming to publish.

• Check the journal's self-archiving policy
• Verify what version of the article you can make immediately available with a Creative Commons licence
• Determine whether you can you afford the article processing charge (APC), if applicable. Concordia University Library supports a range of APC discounts.
• Consider publishing in a “diamond” no-fee open access journal that allows for immediate deposit with a Creative Commons licence in an institutional depository or other trusted Canadian platform. 

Set aside ten to fifteen minutes to deposit your article once peer-reviewed in Spectrum.

Note that the Tri-Agency has implemented a rights retention strategy to facilitate compliance with its OA policy at no additional cost to the researcher. Learn more about publishing contracts and your author rights. Learn more about rights retention and Plan S.

The previous Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (2015) will remain in effect on all grants awarded between May 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2026. Peer-reviewed journal publications must be freely accessible within 12 months of publication.

Agency grantees can comply by:

• Deposit the accepted manuscript or postprint in an open-access repository such as Concordia University’s Spectrum. 
• Publish in a journal that provides immediate open access or makes the article open access within 12 months.

• Guidance and FAQ on the 2026 Tri-Agency OA Policy on Publications
  
• 2026 Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications

• 2015 Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications
• Tri-Agency Frequently Asked Questions about Open Acccess
• Open Policy Finder (journal open archiving policies)
• Author Rights (Copyright at Concordia Guide)

The Library is here to support researchers with meeting these new requirements. Contact your subject librarian OR Rachel Harris, Scholarly Publishing Librarian