Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation
Enhanced Access to Publicly Funded Data for Science, Technology and Innovation
In increasingly knowledge-based societies and economies, data are a key resource.
Enhanced access to publicly funded data enables research and innovation, and has far-reaching
effects on resource efficiency, productivity and competitiveness, creating benefits
for society at large. Yet these benefits must also be balanced against associated
risks to privacy, intellectual property, national security and the public interest.
This report presents current policy practice to promote access to publicly funded
data for science, technology and innovation, as well as policy challenges for the
future. It examines national policies and international initiatives, and identifies
seven issues that require policy attention.