How do you see the implementation of Plan S in the Middle East area?

The implementation of Plan S in the Middle East will largely depend on the willingness of the research funding bodies to participate in this initiative. Currently there are no participants from any of the Middle East countries. We are yet to see the impact in case the scenario changes by the time Plan S comes into effect. Since Plan S is an initiative launched mostly by funders from European countries, other countries are not sure about whether being a part of Plan S will act in favor of them or not. Although ideally Plan S seems to be benefitting the research community by making most research open access, few researchers are quite skeptical about the plan. They feel that the plan focuses on the UK and European countries that support it. Researchers are also concerned that publishing in Plan S-compliant journals could hamper their ability to move to countries such as China and the US, where publications need to be high-impact and not necessarily open access. Therefore, the involvement of the science funders of the Middle East region will determine the effect of the implementation of Plan S on the academic community of that region.