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cOAlition S appoints Curt Rice as Director

13/05/2026

cOAlition S is pleased to announce the appointment of Curt Rice as its new Director. With this appointment and the adoption of the 2026–2030 Strategy last November, the coalition moves together to further advance models of open scholarship in the rapidly evolving landscape for scholarly communication.

Curt Rice spent more than three decades in Norwegian and international higher education, most recently as rector of the Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and as Executive Director of Fulbright Norway. He has been a prominent voice in international debates on open science, research policy, and the public role of knowledge institutions.

Mari Sundli Tveit, Chair of the cOAlition S Leaders Group, said: “Curt Rice brings exactly the combination of qualities cOAlition S needs as it moves from framework-setting into strategy implementation — deep experience running complex research institutions and a long-standing commitment to open science. We are very pleased to welcome him, and confident he will build on the strong foundations we have established and advance the ambitions of our 2026–2030 Strategy.”

On his appointment, Curt Rice said: “I’m delighted by the opportunity to become Director of cOAlition S. Throughout my career, I have been motivated by a commitment to strengthening the conditions for research and higher education, driven by the belief that strong research systems ultimately benefit society as a whole. Academic publishing exists to support the global research enterprise through the effective exchange of knowledge. I look forward to working with funders and partners across the research ecosystem to help advance a system that is more open, equitable, and responsive to the needs of researchers and society alike.”

Rice will take up his role in the coming weeks, as cOAlition S begins implementing its strategy — working towards a scholarly communication system that enables the rapid, open, transparent, and equitable sharing of trustworthy scientific knowledge.

About Curt Rice

Curt Rice is a Norwegian academic leader whose work has focused on universities, research systems, open access, and the public role of knowledge institutions. Over more than three decades in higher education, he has served as rector of both OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and as Executive Director of Fulbright Norway. Earlier in his career, he was founding director of the Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL) at the University of Tromsø, where he also served as Pro Rector for Research.

Beyond institutional leadership, Rice has been a prominent voice in national and international debates on open science, gender equality in research, academic freedom, and research policy. He has chaired Norway’s Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF) and the board of CRIStin, Norway’s national research information system. He is also the founder of Publishing Unlocked, an initiative to strengthen publishing literacy among early-career researchers.

He now takes on an international leadership role with cOAlition S, working with research funders to advance a more open and equitable global system for scientific communication.

Curt Rice
Curt Rice, Director of cOAlition S. Photo credits: Sonja Balci