Last week, the European Commission pledged to offer free access to publicly funded scientific research and set a goal of making 60 percent of studies and papers produced with taxpayer dollars available by 2016.
In this recently posted video, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks with three prominent European scientists about how granting open access to research benefits not only science and innovation but also public health and the economy. Kroes shares her full perspective on the issue on her blog.
The European Commission's announcement follows news from the United Kingdom that the British government will grant free public access to government-funded scientific research by 2014. A campaign to adopt an open access science policy has also been gaining momentum in the United States; a recent petition urging President Obama to implement open access policies for federal agencies that fund scientific research exceeded the number of required signatures. Signees are now awaiting a response from the Obama Administration.
Previously: How open access publishing benefits patients, PeerJ open access publishing platform launches today and A guide to transitioning scholarly journals to an open access model
Via PLoS blog
