Federal Grant Public Access Requirements

Federal agencies are eliminating research publication embargo periods, requiring immediate free public access to taxpayer-funded research by December 31, 2025. This represents the most significant change to federal research policy since 2008, affecting virtually all University of Idaho researchers with federal funding across all disciplines.

The 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research” mandates that all peer-reviewed publications and underlying data from federally funded research must be made freely available immediately upon publication, eliminating the previous 12-month embargo period that allowed publishers to restrict access.

NIH has already accelerated implementation to July 1, 2025, meaning these requirements are currently in effect for NIH-funded researchers. All other federal agencies must implement their policies by December 31, 2025.

This policy affects grant applications, publication strategies, data management, and budget planning. Researchers can comply through repository deposit or publishing with open access journals, but must understand agency-specific requirements.

Institutional support is available through the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Library.

Detailed Information Pages

NIH Public Access Requirements →

Effective July 1, 2025 - Essential information for NIH-funded researchers about zero-embargo requirements, submission deadlines, and compliance pathways.

Federal Agency Requirements →

Effective December 31, 2025 - Comprehensive guide to OSTP 2022 memo implementation across NSF, DOE, NASA, and other federal agencies funding UI research.