Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Housekeeping

I'm at a conference and then will be on vacation. Preparing for the trip, including wrapping up work on other projects, along with Peter's start at the Berkman Center and travel directly before that, have contributed to the abnormal quiet in posting at OAN. I apologize and, as Peter did, urge readers to follow the OATP feed and other blogs for more comprehensive news about OA in the next weeks. I'll be back on the job at the end of the month.

Obama to nominate Collins as NIH director

The White House, President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Francis Collins as NIH Director, press release, July 8, 2009. (Thanks to Heather Joseph.)

Today, [U.S.] President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Francis S. Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. ...

Comment. This is good news for OA supporters in two ways. First, Collins has been a public advocate for OA to data, most notably in the Human Genome Project, which he lead. Even if that wasn't the case, simply having a permanent director at NIH will enable the agency to better explain its public access policy -- such as defending against the Conyers bill and supporting FRPAA.

See also our past posts on Collins, including past rumors of the appointment.

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