Publish the data and code behind every publicly funded study by default

The problem: public money pays for research, but the data and code behind the conclusions are often not available, so others cannot check, reuse or build on the work.

The proposal: funders require that data and analysis code from publicly funded studies be deposited in a trusted repository and linked from the paper, unless there is a specific reason not to, such as protecting participants' privacy. Open science is a movement to make research, data and methods openly accessible, so the rule fits within a wider shift.

Who acts: funders make it a condition of grants and budget for it; journals check links; institutions reward it in hiring and promotion.

Costs and trade-offs: preparing data takes time and some funding. Sensitive data needs careful handling, such as controlled access. Researchers worry about being scooped, so a short embargo period can balance the two.

First step: one funder adopts the rule for a single programme and publishes how many projects complied after a year.