A Federal Mandate for Open Science

Witness the birth of the Federal Research Public Access Act:

“The Federal Research Public Access Act will encourage broader collaboration among scholars in the scientific community by permitting widespread dissemination of research findings.  Promoting greater collaboration will inevitably lead to more innovative research outcomes and more effective solutions in the fields of biomedicine, energy, education, quantum information theory and health care.”

[Correction: it didn’t really mention quantum information theory—SF.]

You can read the full text of FRPAA here.
The bill states that any federal agency which budgets more than $100 million per year for funding external research must make that research available in a public online repository for free download now later than 6 months after the research has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
This looks to me like a big step in the right direction for open science. Of course, it’s still just a bill, and needs to successfully navigate the Straights of the Republican-controlled House, through the Labyrinth of Committees and the Forest of Filibuster, and run the Gauntlet of Presidential Vetos. How can you help it survive this harrowing journey? Write your senators and your congresscritter today, and tell them that you support FRPAA and open science!
Hat tip to Robin Blume-Kohout.

2 Replies to “A Federal Mandate for Open Science”

  1. This is awesome. I see there is a 6-months embargo allowed, which is an improvement on the NIH’s 12 months. 4(c)(2) was a little confusing to me at first, I still don’t understand 4(c)(3), and I think 4(d)(3) could be tightened up. But still awesome.

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