STM NEWSROOM

The report, published on 30 April, acknowledges that Europe has achieved higher-than-average OA rates, that no statistically significant effect can be attributed to SPR, and that Gold Open Access (OA) and Transformative Agreements have been the underlying drivers of OA growth in Europe (in line with what our data also shows). Yet it puts forward…

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pulled a report supporting the COVID-19 vaccine from its flagship Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), questions are being raised about whether the publication will continue. The Washington Post reported (9 April) that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who is also acting Director of the CDC, had delayed publication of a…

The US Department of Justice issued an interim final rule on April 20 extending the compliance dates for web content and mobile app accessibility as required by the updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II regulations. The compliance date for state and local government entities with a total population of 50,000 or more is extended from…

On Friday, April 25, the President reportedly fired the entire National Science Board (NSB). The NSB plays a major role in overseeing the National Science Foundation (NSF) and advising Congress and the President, and its 24 members generally serve 6-year terms. The Board’s last scheduled meeting, on April 16, was canceled and never rescheduled. NSF is also…

NIH recently updated its Grants Policy Statement and announced a revised implementation timeline for new Common Form requirements. Of particular note, the new requirements (as of March 25) include a requirement that NIH-funded authors add a percentage and dollar amount of the program costs associated with US federal money to their acknowledgements of funding, and to add a…

On April 7, USDA released a new regulation implementing the Nelson memo public access policy, which came into effect immediately. Notably, it includes a helpful provision expressly stating that publishers may decide whether a journal permits authors to meet the immediate access/deposit requirements, and that researchers can apply for a waiver if they wish to publish in…

The study led by Visionary Analytics on the economic impact of potential legislative interventions regarding an EU-wide Secondary Publication Right and a modified research exception has now concluded. Findings will be presented in a webinar on 13 May. Programme and registration are available here.

On 24 March 2026, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled against the state of Baden-Württemberg and the University of Konstanz, rejecting their attempt to establish a secondary publication obligation through state and institutional statutes under Section 38(4) of the German Copyright Act (UrhG). The Court found the obligation void on competence grounds: copyright legislation is a matter…

On 3 April, China’s state-owned Central Television reported on CAS’s new policy ceasing funding for approximately 30 fully open access journals with article publishing charges (APCs) above US$5,000. Limitations would apply to use of academic and national funding and would not preclude authors from self-funding to publish in these journals. It is important to note…

As noted previously, OMB has reportedly been slow to release funding for federal agencies to issue grants. In addition, staff reductions across the government have increased delays in grant review and approval. This has led to a significant reduction in grant approvals and disbursements, as one can see for NSF and NIH based on public information available. Last…