The Global Young Academy issued a position statement that identifies obstacles that currently stand in the way of giving free access to scientific results and data, and advocates ways forward that will transform scientific research into a truly global endeavour. The GYA calls for scientific results to be made freely available for scientists around the world and for future generations.
The Global Young Academy today issued a position statement that identifies obstacles that currently stand in the way of giving free access to scientific results and data, and advocates ways forward that will transform scientific research into a truly global endeavour.
The GYA calls for scientific results to be made freely available for scientists around the world and for future generations. In addition, funding bodies should adequately recognize work published in open access journals and online, and moreover recognise and encourage the development of innovative Open Science projects. Beyond making data available, a long-term strategy for data storage and maintenance needs to be developed.
“Young researchers can make significant contributions to the set-up, development and maintenance of platforms for open access”, Sabina Leonelli from the University of Exeter in the UK, one of the lead authors of the position statement, points out. “They are typically strongly committed to global collaboration and a culture of sharing resources and results.”
The lack of access to publicly funded research is a major issue for researchers based in developing countries. Publishers and funding agencies should be encouraged to work towards a model that provides them with access free of charge.
The Global Young Academy feels that the broad aims of the Open Science movement are in the best interest of young scientists, and in the best interest of science itself.