Open access publisher BioMed Central has presented its Open Access Advocacy Award for 2014 to Neelie Kroes, the European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda.
Kroes has been the Dutch member of the European Commission for almost ten years and has been responsible for the Digital Agenda for the past four and a half years. During this period, she has brought the open access agenda to the forefront of the spirited discussion on the future of science and research in Europe. Openness has been one of the main themes of this term, during which the Commission has proposed, and the European Parliament and Council of Ministers have agreed, that all articles produced with funding from FP7 and Horizon 2020 must be published using open access.
Wide-ranging discussions on how to make data open as well have also begun. She has spoken, tweeted and blogged widely on the subject, bringing knowledge about open access to many more people. The award recognises the key role that Kroes had played, especially with respect to drawing media attention to open access.
BioMed Central's Annual Research Awards recognise excellence in scientific research made freely available to any interested reader through open access publishing within its portfolio of biology and medical journals. From time to time, the BioMed Central Open Access Advocacy Award acknowledges not only outstanding individual or institutional efforts made to support open access to research, but also researchers demonstrating leadership in data sharing.
