JOINSTM comments on NSF Strategic Plan
In January, NSF released a draft 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. The draft is briefer and more high-level than previous plans, outlining nine objectives along with high-level strategies to achieve them and measures of success.
Of particular interest to STM members, NSF proposes to measure success of the first objective — “Uphold tenets of Gold Standard Science while enabling groundbreaking research and innovation” — by tracking the number of resources deposited in public access repositories.
STM provided comments, which were required to be submitted via an online form within two weeks, noting that publishers are key partners in achieving NSF’s objectives. STM emphasized that Gold Standard Science hinges on publishers’ investments and that inflexible and unfunded public access policies risk undermining NSF’s goals. STM also noted that measures of success should be broader.