NIH moves immediate access requirement to 1 July

posted on May 5, 2025
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The NIH has unexpectedly revised the implementation timeline for its updated 2024 public access policy (the 2024 updated policy). The new requirement will now take effect on 1 July 2025, instead of the previously announced 31 December 2025.

Under this policy, any peer-reviewed article reporting on NIH-funded research that is accepted for publication on or after 1 July 2025 must be made publicly available in PubMed Central without an embargo. All other provisions of the updated policy remain unchanged. View the revised NIH notice here.

The change was announced via a statement and tweet from NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and a blog post by the Office of Science Policy, which framed the update as part of broader efforts by NIH, HHS, and the Administration to promote transparency and strengthen public trust in science.

STM will continue to monitor developments in U.S. public access policy and keep members informed. Please note: this change only affects the implementation date—it does not alter any other aspects of the NIH policy, nor does it apply to other agencies. In fact, the announcements do not reference the Nelson Memo.

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