[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 62 (Tuesday, March 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17907-17908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06622]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Request for Information: Public Access to Peer-Reviewed Scholarly 
Publications, Data and Code Resulting From Federally Funded Research

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

ACTION: Notice of Request for Information (RFI), extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: OSTP, and the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) 
Subcommittee on Open Science (SOS), are engaged in ongoing efforts to 
facilitate implementation and compliance with the 2013 memorandum 
Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific 
Research and to address recommended actions made by the Government 
Accountability Office in a November 2019 report. OSTP and the SOS 
continue to explore opportunities to increase access to unclassified 
published research, digital scientific data, and code supported by the 
U.S. Government. This RFI aims to provide all interested individuals 
and organizations with the opportunity to provide recommendations on 
approaches for ensuring broad public access to the peer-reviewed 
scholarly publications, data, and code that result from federally 
funded scientific research.

DATES: The comment period for the request for information published 
February 19, 2020, at 85 FR 9488, is extended. Comments will be 
accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be 
submitted online to Lisa Nichols, Assistant Director for Academic 
Engagement, OSTP, at

[[Page 17908]]

[email protected]. Email submissions should be machine-readable 
[pdf, doc, txt] and not copy-protected. Submissions should include 
``RFI Response: Public Access'' in the subject line of the message.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
institution is requested to submit only one response. Submission must 
not exceed 5 pages in 12 point or larger font, with a page number 
provided on each page. Responses should include the name of the 
person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment. Comments containing 
references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not 
widely published should include copies or electronic links of the 
referenced materials. No business proprietary information, copyrighted 
information, or personally identifiable information should be submitted 
in response to this RFI.
    In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Federal Government to form a 
binding contract. Additionally, those submitting responses are solely 
responsible for all expenses associated with response preparation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
direct your questions to Lisa Nichols at [email protected] or 
call Lisa Nichols at 202-456-4444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    In February of 2013, OSTP issued the memorandum Increasing Access 
to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research. The memorandum 
directed Federal agencies with more than $100M in research and 
development (R&D) expenditures to develop plans to make the results of 
federally funded unclassified research that are published in peer-
reviewed publications, and digitally formatted scientific data, 
publicly available. Federal agency plans required that published work 
be made available following a twelve-month post-publication embargo 
period.
    OSTP and the NSTC SOS continue to explore opportunities to make the 
knowledge, information and data generated by federally funded research 
more readily accessible to students, clinicians, businesses, 
entrepreneurs, researchers, technologists, and the general public who 
support these investments as a means to accelerate knowledge and 
innovation. Over the course of the last two years, OSTP has had nearly 
100 meetings with stakeholders on open science, current policy on 
public access to the results of federally funded research, the 
evolution of scholarly communications, and access to data and code 
associated with published results. This RFI aims to expand on these 
consultations and provide all interested individuals and organizations 
with the opportunity to provide recommendations on approaches for 
ensuring broad public access to the peer-reviewed scholarly 
publications, data and code that result from federally funded 
scientific research. OSTP is interested in perspectives on the 
following topics:
     What current limitations exist to the effective 
communication of research outputs (publications, data, and code) and 
how might communications evolve to accelerate public access while 
advancing the quality of scientific research? What are the barriers to 
and opportunities for change?
     What more can Federal agencies do to make tax-payer funded 
research results, including peer-reviewed author manuscripts, data, and 
code funded by the Federal Government, freely and publicly accessible 
in a way that minimizes delay, maximizes access, and enhances 
usability? How can the Federal Government engage with other sectors to 
achieve these goals?
     How would American science leadership and American 
competitiveness benefit from immediate access to these resources? What 
are potential challenges and effective approaches for overcoming them? 
Analyses that weigh the trade-offs of different approaches and models, 
especially those that provide data, will be particularly helpful.
     Any additional information that might be considered for 
Federal policies related to public access to peer-reviewed author 
manuscripts, data, and code resulting from federally supported 
research.

    Dated: March 25, 2020.
Sean Bonyun,
Chief of Staff, Office of Science and Technology Policy.
[FR Doc. 2020-06622 Filed 3-30-20; 8:45 am]
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