NIH Releases Draft Public Access Policy for Stakeholder Feedback

By: Naomi Charalambakis
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
On June 18, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued its Draft Public Access Policy and supplemental guidance documents for public comment. The draft policy updates NIH’s current policy, in effect since 2008, and represents the agency’s continued efforts to implement the White House’s 2022 memorandum, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” This memo directed federal agencies to make publications and supporting data freely available and publicly accessible at the time of publication.

Before releasing the draft policy, in February 2023 NIH released its “Plan to Enhance Public Access to the Results of NIH-Supported Research” for public comment as a roadmap for how the agency intends to comply with the White House memorandum. In its comments, FASEB emphasized the importance of allowing institutions to use diverse funding options, such as indirect funds, to cover publishing costs.  Additionally, FASEB recommended developing resources for underserved researchers and professional societies to ensure equitable access to publications.

Comments on the draft policy and the supplemental guidance—“Government Use License and Rights” and “Publications Costs”—must be submitted by August 19.