OSTP Issues New Policy Guidance: Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research

"This new guidance extends the Holdren memo in a number of important ways. It applies to all agencies funding research, not just those with budgets over $100 Million. It eliminates the optional 12-month embargo period for publications. And it strengthens provisions for timely access to research data. There are many details in the new guidance that are worth studying; for example, it calls for the adoption of various persistent identifiers (PIDs). Note that, much like the Holdren memo, this will take several years to play out. Individual agencies have to formulate policies and implementation plans and schedules, and then implement them. The new memo contains timeline parameters for various aspects of the policy guidance."