On February 22, 2013, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memorandum by Dr. John P. Holdren titled, “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research”. This memo directed federal agencies with over $100 million in annual research and development expenditures to create plans for greater public access to scholarly publications and digital data resulting from federally funded research. The goal was to make scientific research more accessible and useful for the public, and the scientific community, while also considering the valuable services provided by publishers who ensure rigorous standards and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge.
In response to the 2013 memorandum, the National Science Foundation (NSF) with contribution from Amy Friedlander and others at NSF, developed its first Public Access Plan (NSF Public Access Plan 1.0). This plan aimed to ensure that the outputs of NSF-funded scientific research were made publicly available to the greatest extent possible, with the fewest constraints, and consistent with the requirements of the memorandum. The NSF's efforts led to the implementation of the NSF Public Access Repository, where NSF-funded publications and other research products are openly available to the public; funding of projects that enhance public access and coordinating agency activities regarding public access. The NSF actively engaged with research communities to inform and learn from them about policies and practices for complying with the mandate. Additionally, as outlined in the NSF Public Access Plan 1.0, the Foundation developed interoperability with another Federal agency, the Department of Energy, Office of Science and Technical Information (DOE/OSTI). Since the Spring of 2018, this integration has allowed authors of publications funded by both agencies (NSF and DOE) to deposit the final accepted version of their manuscript one time, thus reducing burden on the investigators and awardees. Authors who have successfully deposited an eligible publication in DOE/OSTI's system are able to seamlessly make their journal articles available in the NSF-PAR. These journal articles are also auto populated into the Foundation's project reporting system and are made available to Program Officers upon project report submission.
On August 25, 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memorandum by Dr. Alondra Nelson titled, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research”. This memo provided policy guidance to federal agencies with research and development expenditures, emphasizing the importance of updating public access policies. The goal is to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without any embargo on their free and public release. This new memo builds upon the 2013 Memorandum, which laid the groundwork for increased public access to scholarly publications and digital data.
In response to the 2022 memorandum, the NSF with contribution from Martin Halbert and others, developed its second Public Access Plan (NSF Public Access Plan 2.0). This plan aims to ensure open, immediate, and equitable access to research funded by the NSF. Key features include open access to publications, research data sharing, a focus on equity and inclusion, addressing COVID-19 response, and emphasizing research integrity. By promoting accessibility, diversity, and responsible practices, the NSF Plan 2.0 continues to build on the goals of Plan 1.0 and supporting the advances of scientific progress as directed by the new mandate.