News & Notices
Freedom of
access to primary experimental data
>
to IUBG
For science to progress it is critical that research results
are disseminated as widely as possible, and in particular that primary
experimental data are freely available in perpetuity. In 1998, as a
result of concern amongst the scientific community over this issue,
the International Council for Science (ICSU) set up an Inter-Union
Bioinformatics Group (IUBG) to consider this and related matters
with particular emphasis on bioinformatics. The issue of free access
is particularly relevant just now in relation to the availability of
data from genomic and proteomic studies.
The purpose of the group was defined as follows:
- To monitor worldwide developments in bioinformatics
- To take measures as required to ensure and facilitate inter-process
communication, such as standardization of data formats
- To act when the continuity or reliability of key informatics providers
is endangered
- To act when the free access to data in the public domain is endangered
- To catalyse actions by the appropriate authorities in areas of the
world where Internet access to servers and data providers is technically
inadequate
- To organize relevant educational activities.
The membership of the group's Steering Committee is as
follows:
- Herman J.C. Berendsen (former president IUPAB), Secretary
- Helen M. Berman (IUCr)
- Richard Cammack (IUBMB)
- Charles Cantor (former IUPAB Council)
- Jean Garnier (President IUPAB), Chairman
- Arthur Lesk (representing CODATA)
- Alan McNaught (IUPAC)
- Richard Roberts (ICSU)
- M. Vijayan (IUPAB, IUCr)
IUBG has recently produced a report covering many of the
above topics, which was endorsed by ICSU in September 2002, and is available
on the web site: http://md.chem.rug.nl/~berends/IUBG-FinalReport.html.
It contains a number of statements and recommendations
to International Unions, to scientific societies, to funding agencies,
to legislators, to for-profit organizations, to publishers and authors,
to committees for nomenclature and standardization, and to educational
institutions. These are reproduced below. In the coming months, the
members of IUBG Steering Committee will be contacting the various bodies
to whom the recommendations are addressed. To help with dissemination,
IUBG would be grateful if IUPAC members would draw the attention of
relevant bodies in their own countries to the report's contents.
Alan
McNaught
> Link to Statements
and Recommendations from the Inter-Union Bioinformatics Group (IUBG)
<http://md.chem.rug.nl/~berends/IUBG-FinalReport.html>