Revised policy ends 12-month embargo, aligns with federal open access directive 

Starting July 1, 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that peer-reviewed journal articles resulting from NIH-funded research be made freely available to the public immediately upon publication, with no embargo period. 

This update aligns with a 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memo directing federal agencies to revise public access policies. The NIH’s updated policy (originally set for December 2025 but moved up) will bring research funded by the agency into full compliance with these new federal requirements.

UCR researchers and grant recipients can find full details and guidance on how to comply by visiting our Open Access LibGuide and going to the NIH’s Revised Public Access Policy tab.

If you have questions, you can contact the University of California's Office of Scholarly Communication at osc@ucop.edu or UCR Digital Scholarship Librarian Dr. Jing Han at jingh@ucr.edu.