NIH Proposes Cost Caps for Publicly Funded Research  

On July 8th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced plans to implement a new policy that will cap how much publishers can charge NIH-supported scientists to make their research findings publicly accessible. The announcement, issued as a press release rather than a formal notice in the Federal Register, comes shortly after the NIH announced that it would bump up the implementation date of the Biden Administration’s Open Access publishing policies to July 1, 2025, despite the Trump Administration’s directive to repeal the 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy guidance.   

“Creating an open, honest, and transparent research atmosphere is a key part of restoring public trust in public health,” said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “This reform will make science accessible not only to the public but also to the broader scientific community, while ending perverse incentives that don’t benefit taxpayers.”

The NIH announced it will introduce a cap on allowable publication costs starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, ensuring that publication fees remain reasonable across the research ecosystem. The policy aims to curb excessive article publishing charges (APCs) and ensure the broad dissemination of research findings without unnecessary financial barriers.

Read the full NIH press release at: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/nih-director/statements/nih-establish-new-policies-allowable-publication-costs