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Federal Research: Agencies Should Better Manage Anticipated Publishing Cost Increases Amid Shift to Public Access
GAO-26-107738
May 21, 2026
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11 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF, in finalizing the public access policy, should ensure that the policy addresses: (1) the prerequisites needed to make publications publicly available by default, (2) use or re-use rights, and (3) which restrictions, such as attribution, apply to publicly accessible scholarly publications funded by the agency. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture, in finalizing the agency's public access policy, should ensure that the policy addresses use or re-use rights for its funded scholarly publications. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should conduct an analysis of how the agency's research efforts and budget may be affected by expected expenditure increases resulting from its December 2024 public access plan and update the plan as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should conduct an analysis of how the agency's research efforts and budget may be affected by expected expenditure increases resulting from its October 2024 public access policy and update the policy as appropriate. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Transportation The Secretary of Transportation should conduct an analysis of how the agency's research efforts and budget may be affected by expected expenditure increases resulting from its forthcoming public access policy and update the policy as appropriate. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Administrator of NASA should conduct an analysis of how the agency's research efforts and budget may be affected by expected expenditure increases resulting from its November 2024 public access plan and update the plan as appropriate. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions: Agencies Should Collect and Apply Lessons Learned to Improve Future Procurements
GAO-26-107859
Apr 13, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment updates the department's policies to establish processes and require officials to systematically collect lessons learned from AI acquisitions—including best practices involving contract clauses—and submit them to the GSA-managed repository to enable sharing and application by other agencies. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure that the Under Secretary for Management updates the department's policies to establish processes and require officials to systematically collect lessons learned from AI acquisitions—including best practices involving contract clauses—and submit them to the GSA-managed repository to enable sharing and application by other agencies. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
General Services Administration The Administrator of the General Services Administration should ensure that the Chief Acquisition Officer updates the agency's policies to establish processes and require officials to systematically collect lessons learned from AI acquisitions—including best practices involving contract clauses—and submit them to the GSA-managed repository to enable sharing and application by other agencies. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the Principal Executive Director of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction updates the department's policies to establish processes and require officials to systematically collect lessons learned from AI acquisitions—including best practices involving contract clauses—and submit them to the GSA-managed repository to enable sharing and application by other agencies. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

STEM: Additional Data Needed on Graduate Researcher and Postdoctoral Scholar Compensation
GAO-26-107757
Apr 08, 2026
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of the National Science Foundation should conduct an analysis to determine the gaps in data needed to fully assess the adequacy of monetary compensation and fringe benefits for graduate researchers and postdoctoral scholars and assess the feasibility of collecting these data. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In commenting on a draft of the report, NSF concurred with the recommendation, stating it will take the necessary steps to identify gaps that can inform an understanding of the adequacy of monetary compensation and fringe benefits for graduate researchers and postdoctoral scholars, and assess whether the gaps can be measured. We will provide an update once NSF provides information on its plans for implementing the recommendation.
National Science Foundation The Director of the National Science Foundation should establish a timeline to undertake an evaluation of NSF's role in supporting graduate researcher education and training through fellowships, traineeships, and other funding models, and of the impact of different funding mechanisms on graduate student experiences and outcomes, and publish the results of this evaluation, as required by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In commenting on a draft of the report, NSF concurred with the recommendation, stating that it will establish a timeline to undertake an evaluation of its role in supporting graduate researcher education and training through fellowships, traineeships, and other funding models. We will provide an update once NSF provides information on its plans for implementing the recommendation.

Sexual Harassment: Actions Needed to Ensure Consistent Agency Policies for Research Institutions
GAO-25-107750
Sep 30, 2025
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Director of OSTP should fulfill its statutory role to encourage and monitor the research agencies' development, implementation, and maintenance of policies consistent with federal guidelines to reduce sexual harassment involving award personnel. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Director of OSTP should revise federal guidelines to fully address the sharing among agencies of harassment reports about individuals working on federal research awards and indicate that research agencies should be collecting data on initiated sexual harassment investigations involving award personnel and the results of all such investigations. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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