White House Moves to Improve Public Access to Scientific Research
A recent Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum instructs major federal research agencies to provide open access to federally funded research and digital scientific data. All federal agencies with an extramural research budget that exceeds $100 million will participate, following the example of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which implemented a similar policy in 2008. Over the next six months, these agencies will draft plans to ensure that any results of federal research published in peer-reviewed scholarly publications are available to the public.
NIH Launches $96M Initiative for Big Data Centers of Excellence
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new initiative to fund the exploration of using Big Data to improve national health care outcomes. NIH will provide $24 million per year for four years to establish six to eight Big Data Centers of Excellence. The centers will be used by researchers and students for training in data science and testing the use of large and complex datasets to create tools, methods, and software that can improve health care processes.
NSF ‘Exploring’ the Establishment of National Network of Big Data Hubs
With a recent request for information (RFI), the National Science Foundation began soliciting comments on the potential establishment of a national network of big data regional innovation hubs. These hubs will help to continue and scale up the activities and partnerships launched under the National Big Data R&D Initiative and also serve as a catalyst for economic prosperity by supporting the growth of the U.S. big data industry.