Summit County Citizens Voice

Government agencies like the U.S. Geological Survey already provide a wealth of information for free to the public, like this photo of wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico, part of an amazing series of aerial pictures taken after Hurricane Gustav hit the area. A new measure in Congress would require agencies to share research publicly. Click on the image to see more of the hurricane series.

Open access could spur innovation in private sector, backers say

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress this week could help fuel research and innovation in the private sector by ensuring access to publicly funded research by government agencies.

The Federal Research Public Access Act would require federal agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million or more to provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from funded research no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The House measure would unlock unclassified research funded by agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

“Free and open access to scientific literature and data are the underpinnings of discovery in the digital age,” said Stephen Friend MD PhD, President and Co-Founder of Sage Bionetworks, a not-for-profit medical research network. “Full collaboration among researchers is essential, and we have the power now to communicate, collaborate, and innovate in ways that were previously unimaginable. I applaud the sponsors of the Federal Research Public Access Act for their commitment to ensuring the kind of access scientists need to make progress on improved disease treatments and diagnostics in the digital world.”

The move toward better public access to government research was spurred by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which issued a request for public comment on mechanisms that would leverage federal investments in scientific research and increase access to information that promises to stimulate scientific and technological innovation and competitiveness.

Digital technology and information sharing can speed the pace of innovation, said Elliot Schwartz, vice president for economic studies at the Committee for Economic Development, an independent, non-profit, nonpartisan public policy organization comprised of business and academic leaders. “The bill is a crucial, welcome move toward advancing research through openness and avoiding making the taxpayer pay twice for taxpayer-funded research. It is good public policy,” he said.

Academic leaders also support the measure.

“The current system for exchanging the results of research is deeply flawed, and major changes – like this bill – are required. I welcome the introduction of the Federal Research Public Access Act,” said Karen Hanson, provost and executive vice president of Indiana University. “Advancing research is at the core of the mission of higher education, and broadening access to the scholarly record is a critical step in helping research to advance to its fullest potential,” she added.

H.R. 5037 follows closely on the heels of a recent expression of interest in public access policies from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which issued a request for public comment on mechanisms that would leverage federal investments in scientific research and increase access to information that promises to stimulate scientific and technological innovation and competitiveness.
The legislation is supported by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a coalition of patient, academic, research, and publishing organizations that supports open public access to the results of federally funded research. The Alliance was formed in 2004 to urge that peer-reviewed articles stemming from taxpayer-funded research become fully accessible and available online at no extra cost to the American public.

Filed under: Environment, federal government, public lands Tagged: | Congress, government openness, government transparency, research, science, taxpayers rights