An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress Signed by 41 Nobel Prize Winners (November 2009)

Published Nov 10, 2009

November 6th, 2009

Dear Member of Congress:

As scientists and Nobel Laureates, we write to express our strong support for S. 1373, the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA). This bi-partisan legislation, sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX), would enhance access to federally funded, published research articles for scientists, physicians, health care workers, libraries, students, researchers, academic institutions, companies, and patients and consumers.

Broad dissemination of research results is fundamental to the advancement of knowledge. For America to obtain an optimal return on our investment in science, publicly funded research must be shared as broadly as possible. Yet, too often, research results are not available to researchers, scientists, or members of the public. We believe Congress can and must act to ensure that all potential users have free and timely access on the Internet to peer-reviewed federal research findings. This ultimately magnifies the public benefits of research by promoting progress, enhancing economic growth, and improving the public welfare.

As the pursuit of science is increasingly conducted in a digital world, we need policies that ensure that the opportunities the Internet presents for new research tools and techniques to be employed can be fully exploited. The removal of access barriers and the enabling of expanded use of research findings has the potential to dramatically transform how we approach issues of vital importance to the public, such as biomedicine, climate change, and energy research. As scientists, and as taxpayers too, we support FRPAA and urge its passage.

The open availability of federally funded research for broad public use in open online archives is a crucial building block in laying a strong national foundation to support accelerated discovery and innovation. It encourages broader participation in the scientific process by providing equitable access to high-quality research results to researchers at higher education institutions of all kinds – from research-intensive universities to community colleges alike. It can empower more members of the public to become engaged in citizen science efforts in areas that pique their imagination. It will equip entrepreneurs and small business owners with the very latest research developments, allowing them to more effectively compete in the development of new technologies and innovations. Open availability of this research will expand the worldwide visibility of the research conducted in the U.S. and increase the impact of our collective investment in research.

FRPAA builds on established public access policies that have been adopted by government agencies in both the U.S. and abroad. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have implemented a successful comprehensive public access policy, mandated through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008. All seven of the Research Councils in the United Kingdom have public access policies as do the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. This bill is also consistent with the growing number of institutional open-access policies that have been adopted at universities such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Kansas.

The federal government funds over $60 billion in research annually. Research supported by the NIH, which accounts for approximately one-third of federally funded research, produces an estimated 80,000 peer-reviewed journal articles each year. The return on our investment in scientific research is best realized with policies that promote access to the published results of that research. Passage of FRPAA will make it easier for scientists worldwide to better and more swiftly address the complex scientific challenges that we face today and expand shared knowledge across disciplines to accelerate breakthrough and spur innovation. As the undersigned Nobel Laureates, representing both U.S. interests and those of the rest of the scientific world, we ask you to co-sponsor and support the Federal Research Public Access Act.

Signed by 41 Nobel Laureates

U.S. Laureates:

Name Category Prize Year
Peter Agre Chemistry 2003
Paul Berg Chemistry 1980
Martin Chalfie Chemistry 2008
Robert F. Curl Jr. Chemistry 1996
Johann Deisenhofer Chemistry 1988
Robert H. Grubbs Chemistry 2005
Roald Hoffmann Chemistry 1981
Walter Kohn Chemistry 1998
Roger D. Kornberg Chemistry 2006
Sir Harold Kroto Chemistry 1996
Kary B. Mullis Chemistry 1993
Irwin Rose Chemistry 2004
David Baltimore Medicine 1975
Baruj Benacerraf Medicine 1980
Sydney Brenner Medicine 2002
Stanley Cohen Medicine 1986
Andrew Z. Fire Medicine 2006
Edmond H. Fischer Medicine 1992
Alfred G. Gilman Medicine 1994
Carol W. Greider Medicine 2009
Leland H. Hartwell Medicine 2001
David H. Hubel Medicine 1981
Eric R. Kandel Medicine 2000
Joseph E. Murray Medicine 1990
Marshall W. Nirenberg Medicine 1968
Andrew V. Schally Medicine 1977
Jack W. Szostak Medicine 2009
Harold E. Varmus Medicine 1989
James Watson Medicine 1962
Sheldon Glashow Physics 1979
John C. Mather Physics 2006
Douglas D. Osheroff Physics 1996
H. David Politzer Physics 2004


Non-U.S. Laureates

Name Category Prize Year
Aaron Ciechanover Chemistry 2004
Avram Hershko Chemistry 2004
Jean-Marie Lehn Chemistry 1987
Hartmut Michel Chemistry 1988
Sir Martin J. Evans Medicine 2007
Tim Hunt Medicine 2001
Bengt I. Samuelsson Medicine 1982
Rolf M. Zinkernagel Medicine 1996