White House Issues Directive To Make Federally Funded Studies Free To Public
In a "historic" move, the Biden administration also says the research should be made available immediately, instead of being kept behind a paywall for a year. Speaking to Stat, the New England Journal of Medicine editor-in-chief said at least a third of the journal's roughly 200 yearly articles are connected to taxpayer funding.
The Chronicle for Higher Education:
‘A Historic Moment’: New Guidance Requires Federally Funded Research To Be Open Access
In a move hailed by open-access advocates, the White House on Thursday released guidance dictating that federally funded research be made freely and immediately available to the public. The Office of Science and Technology Policy’s guidance calls for federal agencies to make taxpayer-supported research publicly available immediately, doing away with an optional 12-month embargo. (Zahneis, 8/25)
The New York Times:
White House Pushes Journals To Drop Paywalls On Publicly Funded Research
In laying out the new policy, which is set to be fully in place by the start of 2026, the Office of Science and Technology Policy said that the guidance had the potential to save lives and benefit the public on several key priorities — from cancer breakthroughs to clean-energy technology. “The American people fund tens of billions of dollars of cutting-edge research annually,” Dr. Alondra Nelson, the head of the office, said in a statement. “There should be no delay or barrier between the American public and the returns on their investments in research.” (Patel, 8/25)
The Scientist Magazine:
No More Paywalls On Federally Funded Research: White House
“The American people fund tens of billions of dollars of cutting-edge research annually. There should be no delay or barrier between the American public and the returns on their investments in research,” Alondra Nelson, acting head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, says in a White House news release. (Williams, 8/25)
Stat:
White House Directs Agencies To Make Federally Funded Studies Free
“The devil’s in the details,” said New England Journal of Medicine Editor-in-Chief Eric Rubin, who told STAT at least a third of the journal’s estimated 200 articles a year are attached to federal funding, though other funding streams do require open access. “It does threaten the model of a carefully thought-out presentation and carefully getting research. We’re gonna have to think about how we can still do what we think is important.” (Owermohle, 8/25)
