The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced it has adopted an Open Access policy for its content, including still images, videos and selected datasets. ESA hopes that the new Open Access policy will facilitate the broadest use and reuse of the material for the general public, media, the educational sector, partners and anybody else seeking to utilise and build upon it. ESA follows several other intergovernmental organisations that have recently adopted similar Open Access policies, including UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the World Health Organisation. There is a growing trend for organisations to shift to broad Open Data policies as their universal benefit is more and more clearly demonstrated around the world.

The EPB and ESA together signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2016 in Paris, to foster better cooperation between the two organisations’ Members and advance science and technology.

More information can be found at http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Digital_Agenda/ESA_affirms_Open_Access_policy_for_images_videos_and_data.