The document details a panel discussion moderated by Jackie Bendall of COGR, with participation from senior research and finance administrators and a policy leader from the Association of American Universities. The primary focus is the evolving landscape of public access policies for federally funded scientific research, particularly in light of the 2013 OSTP memorandum directing federal agencies to develop plans for public access to both publications and digital data. The panel reviews regulatory developments, agency implementation progress, and the roles of organizations such as SPARC in advocating open access. The document provides an overview of required plan elements, such as leveraging existing archives, ensuring data findability and long-term stewardship, notifying researchers of obligations, enforcing compliance, and integrating resources within existing budgets. It also highlights the ambiguity and operational burdens for universities, especially regarding data management plan (DMP) requirements, ongoing compliance, infrastructure to support repositories, and the substantial costs associated with data storage and curation.
Institutional perspectives, particularly those from Duke University and Case Western Reserve University, underscore concerns about the distribution of costs, unfunded mandates, and the complexity of implementation across a diverse research landscape. The NIH’s move toward broader data sharing and FAIR data principles is discussed, along with responses to related NIH Requests for Information. Critical challenges include harmonizing requirements across agencies, balancing the need for open access with confidentiality and intellectual property protection, and managing the expanding data ecosystem without centralized control, which complicates discoverability and reuse. The panel also addresses the varying needs of different research disciplines, the implications of secondary user charges, and the need for cost models that reflect both short- and long-term storage. The discussion notes gaps in agency compliance and the need for ongoing collaboration between universities, agencies, and advocacy groups to align policy objectives with practical, cost-effective solutions for public access to federally funded research outcomes.
