The European Commission (EC) recently launched a public consultation on access to, and preservation of, digital scientific information. This is part of an initiative of Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda, and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research and Innovation.
It is felt that European researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs must have easy and fast access to scientific information to compete on an equal footing with their counterparts across the world. Modern digital infrastructures can play a key role in facilitating access. However, a number of challenges remain, such as high and rising subscription prices to scientific publications, an ever-growing volume of scientific data, and the need to select, curate and preserve research outputs. Open access can help address this, it has been noted.
Scientists, research funding organisations, universities and other interested parties are invited to send their contributions on how to improve access to scientific information. The consultation will run until September 9, 2011. Accessing and re-using knowledge is a key objective of the Digital Agenda for Europe and the Innovation Union.
Interested parties are invited to express their views on key science policy questions such as how scientific articles could become more accessible to researchers and society at large; how research data can be made widely available and how it could be re-used; and how permanent access to digital content can be ensured and what barriers are preventing the preservation of scientific output.
By the end of 2011 the EC intends to adopt a communication on access to and preservation of scientific information. It will be accompanied by a recommendation on actions to be implemented by EU member states to improve access to scientific information.
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