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USDA seeks public input on its plans for enhancing policy, infrastructure, and outreach to make results of the research it funds more readily available and accessible by the public.
All parties interested in attending the virtual listening sessions must RSVP no later than one week prior to the scheduled session. Registration deadline has been extended through Monday, September 25 for the session on September 27 and Tuesday, October 10 for the session on October 12.
Please indicate in the registration form your request to make oral comments, with your affiliation and a brief abstract of your comments. The number of oral commenters is limited due to time and space constraints. Oral commenter slots will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Each virtual listening session will be webcast and transcribed, so oral comments need not also be submitted as written comments.
Written comments were accepted through November 15, 2023 at Regulations.gov (docket number NAL-2023-0001).
Dates
(All events listed in Eastern Time (US and Canada))
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 2:00PM - 5:00PM ET
Thursday, October 12, 2023 10:00AM - 1:00PM ET
If you need a reasonable accommodation to register for, or participate in, this event, please contact Cynthia Parr cynthia.parr@usda.gov
Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request.
About the Listening Sessions
Two listening sessions will be held to obtain input from stakeholders throughout the United States, including members of the public, principal investigators, research institutions, libraries, scholarly publishers, scientific societies, agricultural organizations and associations, data scientists, data repositories, and other stakeholder groups.
Each session will include brief remarks from USDA research leadership, followed by comments from stakeholders. Each registered speaker will receive 5 minutes to share their comments with the USDA. If time allows after all comments from registered speakers are made, unscheduled speakers will be allowed 5 minutes to present their comments to the Agency. The length of the sessions will be adjusted according to numbers of participants seeking to provide input.
Background
USDA developed a public access plan in response to the February 22, 2013, OSTP memorandum entitled “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research” and several White House memoranda. Current USDA policy and activities were developed from that original plan. On August 25, 2022, OSTP issued a new public access memorandum: “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” In response to OSTP's 2022 memo, USDA will enhance policy, infrastructure, and outreach to make its scientific data and publications more readily available and accessible by the public, as described generally in its new plan.
This listening effort, organized by the National Agricultural Library on behalf of the USDA Office of the Chief Scientist, allows stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on USDA's plan and to inform details of its policy-making and other implementation. The USDA Public Access plan and policies apply to the results of research funded wholly or in part by any USDA component agency. USDA provides the following questions to prompt feedback and comments. USDA encourages public comment on any or all of these questions, and also seeks any other information that commenters believe is relevant.
- How can USDA best implement its plans to improve public access to USDA-funded research results?
- How can USDA update or refine its policies to improve public access to USDA-funded research results?
- How can USDA ensure equity in publication opportunities?
- How can USDA use partnerships to improve public access and accessibility to results of USDA-funded research?
- How can USDA monitor impacts on communities impacted by its public access policies?
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