Author: Felicia Bowling

EU Council approves documents on ERA, open access and AI in science

by Felicia Bowling

As expected, last month, the Competitiveness Ministers of the European Council adopted several documents with implications for open access and AI:

  • The Council Recommendations for ERA Policy Agenda 2025-27 is a ‘non-binding roadmap’ of initiatives to drive the European Research Area forward, including copyright interventions that apply to Action 1 on Open Science.
  • The Council’s conclusions on AI in science state that AI collaboration is key to enhancing scientific exchange, but recognise the risks of bias, misinformation and other ethical concerns.

EU seeking feedback on Data Union Strategy

by Felicia Bowling

Last month, the European Commission launched a consultation on the Data Union Strategy — an attempt to simplify and consolidate rules concerning data, its flow across international borders and its use in AI. The Data Union Strategy could lead to a rise in generative AI and establish Europe as, in the Commission’s own words, an ‘AI Continent’.

The Commission has invited feedback through 18 July. STM is currently drafting our response.

Latest wave of U.S. policy moves signal an intensified push to redefine scientific publishing norms

by Felicia Bowling

On 23 May, President Trump signed an executive order to ‘restore Gold Standard Science’ — but what exactly does that mean?

In the executive order and related fact sheet, the administration claims there is a ‘reproducibility crisis’ in science and that the government needs to restore transparency to research. The direct targets here are policies that the administration disagrees with, such as environmental protections and COVID-19 precautions, but the rhetorical target is science itself.

This is different from, but echoes, previous efforts in 2015 and 2017 to limit EPA policymaking to data that is fully available to the public. The new order’s impact on scholarly publishing is unclear, but troubling.

In a move that affects our community more directly, on 27 May, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to stop government scientists from publishing in major medical journals, claiming that these journals are ‘corrupt’ and influenced by pharmaceutical companies. He also suggested that the National Institutes of Health might create their own journals. This coincides with Environmental Health Perspectives, a prominent science journal, closing to new submissions citing cuts in funding from NIH.

On a more promising note, in a separate interview earlier in May, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya committed to maintaining academic freedom for NIH’s scientists and disavowed efforts to censor their work.

In Memoriam: Dr. Einar Fredriksson, 1942 – 2025, founder of IOS Press

by Felicia Bowling

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (May 14, 2025) — It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Dr. Einar Fredriksson passed away unexpectedly on the 30th of April 2025, at the age of 82.

Einar, a native of Sweden, earned his PhD in mathematics in Poland, specializing in mathematical logic and related topics. He later became an honorary member of the Polish Mathematical Society.

Moving to the Netherlands, Einar started his publishing career at North-Holland Publishing Company and subsequently Elsevier, where he worked with great dedication for 17 years. He later founded and headed the highly regarded publishing house, IOS Press, for more than 35 years until he came to an agreement with Sage to incorporate IOS Press into their operations.

Einar was closely involved with Polish mathematical publishing over the years. His deepest intellectual interests were focused on automated approaches to mathematical theorem proofs. His interest in various scientific disciplines, collaboration with academics and his pursuit of innovative forms of publication have made him an important and highly respected leader within the STM publishing field.

More recently, his interest in AI brought him in contact with the FAIR data movement. Einar had followed FAIR from its inception, and in recent years, he focused specifically on the development of practical methods for the creation of machine-actionable data across disciplines. Einar’s legacy will live on through his significant contributions to the STM field and the many lives he touched with his passion and dedication.

If you would like to leave a personal message in remembrance of Einar for his family, please do so at this link.

 

 

 

 

ISSNs are being misused in Ukraine’s occupied territories

by Felicia Bowling

Publishers in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories are misusing the ISSNs of Ukrainian journals, a press release from Supporting Ukrainian Publishing Resilience and Recovery (SUPRR) revealed last month. SUPRR secured support from the ISSN International Centre, which assumes responsibility for assigning ISSNs when there’s no national ISSN centre (such as in occupied or disputed territories).

Jan-Peter Wissink, managing director of Amsterdam University Press, where SUPRR is based, encourages publishers and others to ‘remain vigilant against actions that undermine or may discredit the foundations of academic publishing and international law.’

Open consultation on EU strategy for AI in science

by Felicia Bowling

The EU Commission is seeking input on how to accelerate the uptake of AI in science—encouraging more researchers to use it as a tool while carefully managing its impact on the scientific process. The strategy will lay the groundwork for a European AI Research Council, envisioned as a “Resource for AI Science in Europe” (RAISE), aimed at pooling resources to support scientists developing and applying AI across the EU, and advancing AI in and through science.

Both a call for evidence and a questionnaire are open for feedback until 5 June. This consultation presents a valuable opportunity for academic publishers to highlight the specific needs, opportunities, and safeguards required for AI in the publishing process.

STM will prepare a submission.

EU COM launches consultation on scope of general-purpose AI model rules

by Felicia Bowling

As discussions continue on the Code of Practice, the EU COM has opened a consultation to define the scope of the definition of General-Purpose AI models and of the obligations falling on them. The stakeholder feedback will inform guidelines expected to be published in August 2025, defining concepts such as general-purpose AI models, placing on the market, downstream providers. STM will look to provide its contribution. The deadline is May 22.

Lobbying intensifies on EU Code of Practice for General-Purpose AI

by Felicia Bowling

The Code of Practice outlining obligations for general-purpose AI providers was due to be finalised by 1 May. However, with both tech companies and rightsholders dissatisfied with the draft, the EU AI Office has postponed the adoption deadline to August 2025, citing a need to “prioritise extended feedback cycles as requested by all stakeholders.”

A broad coalition of rightsholders, including STM, raised serious concerns about the latest draft (published in March), warning that it could undermine protections already established in existing legislation. Several governments—such as Spain—have also called for a comprehensive revision of the Code before adoption.

In contrast, the U.S. administration has aligned more closely with tech sector interests. A letter from the U.S. Mission to the EU to the AI Office acknowledged improvements in the draft but urged further changes to increase flexibility, reduce prescriptiveness, and better protect trade secrets.

Details on the next opportunity for formal comment submission have not yet been announced.

Mounting pressures on U.S. science funding and universities

by Felicia Bowling

With so much happening in US Federal Science Agencies, we want to ensure you hadn’t missed a selection of key developments last month:

  • The Department of Energy announced  it will join the NIH in attempting to cap indirect cost rates at 15% to “halt inefficient spending” by universities. Recall that the NIH’s effort has been blocked  by a federal judge, and DOE’s was similarly blocked.
  • The Administration is continuing its efforts to cancel federal grants, targeting specific universities including Columbia, Cornell, Northwestern, and others. Harvard University is challenging these cuts and the associated demands the Administration is making on universities.
  • NIH and other federal agencies are limiting access to scientific information for scientists working in China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. The Justice Department issued an FAQ on these restrictions.
  • The National Science Foundation announced  that it is terminating grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion or combating misinformation. This follows on similar reviews and cancelations of grant programs across the government.

US science leaders reveal priorities, while some head for exits

by Felicia Bowling

There was significant news from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last week, as well as from nominated and incumbent science agency leaders. Here’s a roundup:

  • OSTP Director Michael Kratsios outlined the Administration’s priorities in his first significant speech since being confirmed. He called for an America First science agenda and protection of “intellectual capital.” He also sketched a more creative grant regime and called for deregulation.
  • National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly resigned on April 24, more than a year before the end of his term. Initially appointed in President Trump’s first term, he recently oversaw significant cuts in staff and funding (see also next item).
  • Nominees for top positions in DOE and NASA testified before Congress, laying out the Administration’s priorities. Additional science positions have been nominated, and are expected to testify in the coming weeks.