OSTP Announces “Year of Open Science,” Doubles Up with Scientific Integrity Policies

On January 11, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a fact sheet detailing several actions aiming to advance open science and research while dubbing this year the “Year of Open Science.” The announcement comes in the wake of the recent guidance aiming to increase public access to federally funded research (see previous COSSA coverage). Some of the notable actions include developing an official definition of “open science,” requiring federal agencies to update their public access plans, and publishing a new online resource for the public to learn about engaging in open science programs. A few key research agencies also developed agency-specific actions, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) updating its Final Policy on Data Management and Sharing and the federal statistical system releasing a new Standard Application Process portal for researchers to access restricted data from federal datasets.

On January 12, OSTP also released the Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice. The framework aims to build off of the findings of a 2022 report on scientific integrity (see previous COSSA coverage).  According to the OSTP announcement, the framework is intended to set a consistent definition of scientific integrity for all federal agencies, develop a model scientific integrity policy to guide agencies as they develop their own policies, and share tools to help agencies assess their policies and practices. In addition, it also requires federal agencies to designate a scientific integrity official and directs the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to establish a Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity.