Annexes to COM(2007)56 - Scientific information in the digital age: access, dissemination and preservation - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2007)56 - Scientific information in the digital age: access, dissemination and preservation. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2007)56  |
| date | February 14, 2007 |
Legal issues
Legal deposit, i.e. the obligation for content producers to make one or more copies of scientific materials available to a mandated deposit body, is a central issue for the preservation of digital scientific information. Member States have started to extend deposit arrangements to digital information, at different speeds and with different types of information covered. Nevertheless, the transition towards a digital environment may cause gaps in the intellectual record. A 2004 report of the Science and Technology Committee of the UK House of Commons signalled a gap of 60% in the deposit of electronically delivered publications due to delays in implementing legal deposit.[8] In order to maximise the efficiency of the preservation process, digital information should be made available to mandated deposit bodies without technical protection against copying.
Technical issues
Technological advances can help to keep information accessible and usable. The goal is to reduce preservation costs and offer solutions for challenges such as the storage of large volumes of dynamic content. Upgrading of the supporting technical infrastructure would increase the capacity of research organisations to store information.
Financial issues
The cost of long term and sustainable preservation must be taken into account when setting up open repositories, but is often difficult to assess. Determining factors include the type and volume of information stored, the number of migrations needed, and envisaged use.
ACTIONS AT EUROPEAN LEVEL
Commission position
Initiatives leading to wider access to and dissemination of scientific information are necessary, especially with regard to journal articles and research data produced on the basis of public funding. With respect to journal articles, the Commission is observing and considering experiments with open access publishing.
Fully publicly funded research data should in principle be accessible to all, in line with the 2004 OECD Ministerial Declaration on Access to Research Data from Public Funding.[9]
Moreover, the Commission draws particular attention to the need for clear strategies for the digital preservation of scientific information.
The Commission values the crucial role of all stakeholders in the scientific information system, and these stakeholders should be involved in any transformation process regarding access to, dissemination of and preservation of scientific information.
What has been done so far?
Member States and the Commission have started exploring issues of access, dissemination and preservation of scientific information, through project funding and by launching a public debate with stakeholders .
Examples of relevant projects co-funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) are CASPAR, DRIVER, and SEADATANET.
CASPAR looks at how to manage future access to and preserve scientific data. DRIVER focuses on ways to link repositories of scientific information. SEADATANET aims to develop a Pan-European Marine Data Management Infrastructure integrating the national marine data repositories.
The Commission has also begun to work with advisory groups and gather views from stakeholders, for example the High Level Group on Digital Libraries and the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB).
It has also financed a 'Study on the economic and technical evolution of the scientific publication markets in Europe',[10] which was subject to a public consultation in 2006. Responses from these initiatives together with regular interaction with stakeholders have given the Commission valuable inputs.
At the political level , a Commission Recommendation on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural information and digital preservation adopted on 24 August 2006 addresses the digital preservation issue.[11]
Future actions managed by the European Commission
A. Access to Community funded research results
Within FP7, the Commission will take measures to promote better access to the publications resulting from the research it funds. In this context, project costs related to publishing, including open access publishing, will be eligible for a Community financial contribution. The Commission will encourage the research community to make use of this possibility.
The Commission also envisages, within specific programmes (e.g. the programmes managed by the European Research Council), to issue specific guidelines on the publication of articles in open repositories after an embargo period. This would be done on a sectorial basis, taking into account the specificity of the different scholarly and scientific disciplines.
B. Co-funding of research infrastructures (in particular repositories) and projects
Within FP7 the Commission will intensify its activities regarding infrastructures relevant for access to scientific information, in particular by linking digital repositories at the European level. An amount of approximately €50 million will be made available to this end for the period 2007-2008 (some 20 million of which have been allocated for 2007).
In addition, an indicative amount of €25 million will be provided during this period (some 15 million of which during 2007) for research on digital preservation (in particular a network of Centres of competence for digital preservation) and on collaborative tools for using the content.
Within the e Content plus programme (2005-2008), €10 million has been earmarked to improve the accessibility and usability of scientific content, in particular addressing issues of interoperability and multilingual access.
C. Input for the future policy debate
To feed the debate and the policy process, the Commission will launch a study on the economic aspects of digital preservation to start in 2007. Moreover, through the Science in Society programme, the Commission will support research on the scientific publication system within the ERA and globally, for example on publication business models, dissemination strategies, and the connections between research excellence, scientific integrity and the scientific publication system.
When reviewing VAT-legislation, the Commission will critically examine issues relevant for scientific publications, such as the restrictions for public authorities or the exempt sectors on the recovery of VAT.
D. Policy co-ordination and policy debate with stakeholders
Discussions in the European Parliament and Council will contribute to a common understanding of access and dissemination issues at European level. In this respect, the Member States are invited to explore possible common strategies and to discuss the relevant issues and challenges – organisational, legal, technical and financial – highlighted in this Communication. Instruments such as ERA-NET and fora such as CREST and ESFRI could contribute to shaping the discussion.
The Commission will continue consultations with stakeholders in relevant expert and advisory groups such as the EIROforum, ESF, EURAB, and the High Level Group on Digital Libraries, taking into account the global dimension of the issue. It will organise a high-level conference on scientific publishing in the ERA in early 2007.
The Commission will encourage universities, research organisations, research funding bodies and scientific publishers to exchange information on good practices in relation to new access and dissemination models for scientific information.
Overview of actions
A. ACCESS TO COMMUNITY FUNDED RESEARCH RESULTS
- Costs for publishing, including open access publishing, defined as eligible costs in Community funded research projects.
- Specific guidelines to be issued, within specific programmes, on the publication of articles in open repositories.
B. CO-FUNDING THROUGH COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES
- Approximately €50 million for work on infrastructures, in particular digital repositories, in 2007-2008.
- Approximately €25 million for digital preservation and collaborative tools in 2007-2008.
- Approximately €10 million on access to and use of scientific information through e Content plus programme.
C. INPUT FOR THE FUTURE POLICY DEBATE
- Study on the economic aspects of digital preservation.
- Funding of research on publication business models and on the scientific publication system.
D. POLICY CO-ORDINATION AND DEBATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS
- Deliberations in the European Parliament and Council; further discussions with stakeholders.
- Exchange of good practices for new models of access to, dissemination of, and preservation of scientific information.
CONCLUSION
Access to, dissemination of, and preservation of scientific information are major challenges of the digital age. Success in each of these areas is of key importance for European information society and research policies. Different stakeholders in these fields have differing views on how to move towards improvements for access, dissemination and preservation.
Within this transition process from a print world to a digital world, the Commission will contribute to the debate among stakeholders and policy makers by encouraging experiments with new models that may improve access to and dissemination of scientific information, and by supporting the linkage of existing preservation initiatives at European level.
The Commission invites the European Parliament and Council to debate the relevant issues on the basis of the present Communication.
[1] In this Communication, the terms "scientific" or "science" refer to research activity in all scholarly subjects, including social sciences and the humanities.
[2] For the purposes of this Communication, ‘scientific information’ comprises publications and research data.
[3] References backing up this statement and figures used in this document, as well as key definitions, can be found in the Commission staff working paper accompanying the present Communication.
[4] OJ L 77, 27.3.1996, p. 20.
[5] See the 2005 evaluation report on the Directive by DG MARKThttp://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/docs/databases/evaluation_report_en.pdf.
[6] OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31, and L 201, 31.7.2002, p.37.
[7] European Task Force Permanent Access, 'Permanent access to the records of science'.
[8] HC Science and Technology Committee report 'Scientific Publications - Free for all?' - HC 399-1, July 2004, p. 93.
[9] Adopted in Paris on 30 January 2004. An OECD recommendation on this issue is currently in preparation.
[10] http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/pdf/scientific-publication-study_en.pdf
[11] OJ L 236, 31.8.2006, p.28.