[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 125 (Friday, June 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42302-42303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13866]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No.: 230612-0147]


Draft Plan for Providing Public Access to the Results of 
Federally Funded Research

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology seeks 
comments on the Draft NIST Plan for Providing Public Access to the 
Results of Federally Funded Research. NIST is taking steps to make its 
scientific data and publications more readily available and accessible 
by the public, as directed in an August 2022 memorandum from the Office 
of Science and Technology Policy. The NIST Public Access Plan applies 
to the results of research funded wholly or in part by NIST, presented 
in peer-reviewed scholarly publications and as research data. This 
document outlines NIST's plan for implementing new requirements to 
manage the public access of scientific data and publications. Public 
comments received on the NIST Public Access Plan will inform NIST as it 
revises its existing directives to implement the updated Plan.

DATES: Responses must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 
14, 2023 to be considered.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by either of the following 
methods:
     Electronic submission: Submit electronic public comments 
via the Federal eRulemaking Portal.
    1. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NIST-2023-0002 in the search 
field.
    2. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields.
    3. Enter or attach your comments.
     By email: Comments in electronic form may also be sent to 
[email protected] in any of the following formats: HTML, ASCII, 
Word, RTF, or PDF.
     By post: Comments may be sent by mail to Katherine 
Sharpless, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4701, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-
4701.
    Please submit comments only and include your name, organization's 
name (if any), and cite ``NIST Public Access Plan'' in all 
correspondence. Comments containing references, studies, research, and 
other empirical data that are not widely published should include 
copies of the referenced materials.
    All comments responding to this document will be a matter of public 
record. Relevant comments will generally be available on the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.Regulations.gov and, after the 
comment period closes, on NIST's website at https://www.nist.gov/open. 
NIST will not accept comments accompanied by a request that part or all 
of the material be treated confidentially because of its business 
proprietary nature or for any other reason. Therefore, do not submit 
confidential business information or otherwise sensitive, protected, or 
personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, 
or names of other individuals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this notice 
contact: Katherine Sharpless, Open Access Officer, email address 
[email protected], (301) 975-3121. Please direct media 
inquiries to NIST's Office of Public Affairs at (301) 975-2762.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) is one of our Nation's oldest Federal laboratories 
(for more information, visit www.nist.gov). A bureau in the Department 
of Commerce, the NIST mission is to promote U.S. innovation and 
industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, 
and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our 
quality of life. From early electrical

[[Page 42303]]

measurement research to today's quantum information science, NIST has 
long been, and continues to be, a center for high-impact research 
meeting the needs of academia, industry, and government. The NIST 
laboratories conduct world-class research, often in close collaboration 
with industry, which advances the nation's technology infrastructure 
and helps U.S. companies continually improve products and services.
    NIST publishes this notice to seek comments on the Draft NIST Plan 
for Providing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research, 
posted at www.nist.gov/open. NIST developed a public access plan in 
response to the February 22, 2013, Office of Science and Technology 
Policy (OSTP) memorandum Increasing Access to the Results of Federally 
Funded Scientific Research and several White House memoranda (i.e., 
Office of Management and Budget memoranda M-10-06 Open Government 
Directive and M-13-13 Open Data Policy--Managing Information as an 
Asset. NIST policy was developed from that original plan; NIST's public 
access policy has been operational since 2015. NIST's original plan and 
the resultant policy ensured that the integrity of NIST data are 
maintained throughout their life cycle and increased the visibility of 
NIST measurements, standards, technology, and research activities.
    On August 25, 2022, OSTP issued a new public access memorandum, 
Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded 
Research). In response to OSTP's 2022 memo, NIST is taking new steps to 
make its scientific data and publications more readily available and 
accessible by the public.
    The Draft NIST Plan for Providing Public Access to the Results of 
Federally Funded Research applies to the results of research funded 
wholly or in part by NIST, presented in peer-reviewed scholarly 
publications and as research data. The document outlines NIST's plan to 
manage public access to research data and publications in accordance 
with new recommendations of the 2022 OSTP memo, including the removal 
of embargo periods for access to publications resulting from NIST-
funded work, requiring immediate release of data associated with 
narrative publications, inclusion of available persistent identifiers 
in publications, and emphasis on the need for accessibility to users 
who have disabilities through provision of machine-readable 
publications. The NIST Public Access Plan was reviewed by the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget, 
and those comments have been addressed in the plan being posted for 
comment.
    NIST invites respondents to comment on the following questions that 
pertain to the implementation NIST's updated public access plan:
     How can NIST ensure equity in publication opportunities?
     How can NIST ensure public access and accessibility to 
outputs of NIST-funded research?
     How can NIST monitor impacts on affected communities--
authors and readers alike?
     How can NIST improve the plan to provide greater public 
access to NIST-funded research results?
    Comments relating to the text of the Draft NIST Plan for Providing 
Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research should 
reference the document by page and line number. All comments must be 
received in accordance with the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of the 
notice above.

Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2023-13866 Filed 6-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P