Provost responds to FASTR refiling


LAWRENCE — The Fair Access to Science and Technology (FASTR) Act of 2015 was refiled last month in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress with continued bipartisan support. The University of Kansas has played a pioneering role in open access for over a decade, supporting both local and national efforts, policies and legislation.

Jeffrey S. Vitter, provost and executive vice chancellor at KU, the first public institution to pass a faculty-led open access policy, provided the following comments on this significant progress and KU’s institutional support for FASTR.

“The FASTR Act is a clear statement demonstrating that open access continues to be a strong bipartisan issue. The bill serves as a key instrument to ensure that government-funded research results in new ideas and discoveries that will advance science and stimulate innovation to improve the lives and welfare of Americans.

“Our collective investment in science and education worldwide will be significantly enhanced by timely, barrier-free access to results of federally funded research. The information this bill would make accessible has extraordinary potential to build healthy communities, inspire future leaders and drive discoveries that will change the world.

“As Kansas’ flagship university, we are proud pioneers in the role of open access and committed to expanding opportunities and knowledge for all Americans.”

FASTR calls for federal agencies with extramural research budgets in excess of $100 million to establish consistent, permanent public access policies for articles reporting on their funded research. This means that articles reporting on the results of taxpayer-funded research would be made available to the general public to freely access and fully use. FASTR would codify the February 22, 2013, White House Directive to provide greater public access to taxpayer-funded research.

The Fair Access to Science and Technology (FASTR) Act of 2015: 

  • Represents the next step forward in the competitiveness agenda, spurring both innovation and job creation in broad sectors of the economy, from agriculture and energy to publishing. 
  • Improves transparency and accountability in government spending.
  • Expands access to taxpayer-funded information while protecting classified research, royalty generating works, and preliminary data.  

The FASTR bill is being lead in the House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas' 3rd District.

Background
Every year, the federal government funds tens of billions of dollars in basic and applied research. Most of this funding is concentrated within 11 departments/agencies (e.g., the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy), and the research results in a significant number of articles being published each year: Approximately 100,000 papers are published annually as a result of NIH funding alone. Because U.S. taxpayers directly fund this research, they have a right to expect that its distribution and use will be maximized and that they themselves will have access to it.  

FASTR was first introduced in the 113th Congress. You can learn more about this legislation by visiting SPARC's FASTR homepage.

KU is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. The university's mission is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world. 

Fri, 04/10/2015

author

Rebecca Smith

Media Contacts

Rebecca Smith

KU Libraries

785-864-1761