Open Impact: Making Science Truly Accessible to All

But in practice, many journals have struggled to make the business of open access sustainable. It has led to the rise of predatory publishers, created confusion in the marketplace, and often failed to attract widespread uptake from individual researchers. As a result, some revert to selling access to universities on a subscription basis.

New models, such as Subscribe to Open, are emerging to keep research openly available through collective support from institutions. These are promising, but they do not address a deeper issue: even when research is technically open, it is still largely inaccessible in terms of understanding. The vast majority of papers remain impenetrable to non-specialists. Taxpayers—the very people funding most of this research—are still excluded from understanding the discoveries they are paying for.

That’s why we are introducing a new concept: Open Impact.

What is Open Impact?

We define Open Impact as the next step beyond open access: it’s about making science not only accessible, but also understandable and meaningful to society at large.

Open Impact means:

• Clarity: communicating research findings in plain language, free from unnecessary jargon.
• Engagement: using formats that resonate with wider audiences—such as short-form magazine articles, podcasts, animations, videos, and social media.
• Relevance: framing discoveries within the context of everyday life and societal challenges.
• Equity: ensuring that the benefits of scientific progress are transparent and shared with the people who fund it.
• Usability: creating content that can be easily reused and shared across platforms—by researchers, universities, the media, and the public alike.

• Measurability: tracking how research communication performs—through views, shares, downloads, or altmetrics—so researchers and funders can see evidence of engagement and societal reach.

Why Open Impact Matters

1. Taxpayer Accountability

Globally, around 70% of research is publicly funded. In the UK alone, this amounts to more than £14 billion every year—a scale of investment that deserves transparency and clear communication back to the public. Even where universities provide their own funding, much of it ultimately traces back to the public purse—through government block grants, or through students whose fees are often covered by state-backed loans. In many ways, taxpayers are funding research twice over. At the same time, science funding priorities often shift with each new government, which can define “what science matters most.” By helping the public understand and value research in all its diversity, Open Impact strengthens support for sustained investment—beyond the short-term agendas of politics.

2. Public Trust in Science

When research is hidden behind paywalls or communicated in inaccessible ways, trust can erode. Clear, open communication strengthens the relationship between scientists and society. It also ensures that public backing for research remains steady, regardless of which political group is in power. If people see the value of science in their daily lives, they are more likely to support continued funding, even as governments change.

3. Policy and Decision-Making

Policymakers, educators, healthcare professionals, and businesses often rely on research—but many lack the time or training to wade through technical papers. Open Impact provides them with digestible insights they can act on.

4. Inspiring the Next Generation

Tomorrow’s researchers are not turning to journals; they’re turning to TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Presenting science in the formats young people already use ensures curiosity is sparked and future talent is nurtured.

From Open Science to Open Impact

Open Science has rightly focused on breaking down barriers to access. Open Impact is about breaking down barriers to understanding.

This is not about replacing scholarly publishing. Academic journals remain the essential record of discovery, the foundation on which science builds. Open Impact exists to support and complement publishing—by helping research reach beyond academia, into classrooms, policymaking, the media, and the public square.

Together, these principles ensure that research does not just sit in journals or databases, but actively informs, inspires, and benefits society.

How Do We Get There?

Achieving Open Impact requires a cultural shift:

• Researchers should be supported and incentivised to share their findings beyond academic audiences. Today, this is often seen as a “nice to have” rather than a “must have”—that mindset must change if science is to deliver true public value.
• Funding agencies should include public communication as part of impact requirements.
• Universities should provide tools, training, recognition, and funding for engaging storytelling. It is difficult to do everything in-house, so dedicated support and budgets are essential.
• Publishers and journals should publish not only technical abstracts but also clear, plain-language summaries—relatable, engaging pieces that anyone can understand and be inspired by. This makes their own published work more widely accessible, while also helping their authors achieve Open Impact.
• Science communicators—writers, animators, podcasters—must play a central role in bridging the gap between complex research and broad understanding. This represents a growing industry in its own right, offering meaningful careers for those who may not wish to stay in research, but want to remain close to science.

A Call to Action

The world faces unprecedented challenges—climate change, pandemics, food insecurity, and energy transitions, to name just a few. Solving them depends on public support for research and innovation.

Open Impact is our call for the next step in the open science movement.

It is a commitment to ensuring that science is not only open, but open to everyone.

Because when people understand research, they can value it, support it, and use it to create positive change.