Royal Society of Chemistry and TIB co-create next generation Open Access consortium model
New consortium model ensures vast majority of publications in RSC journals from German institutions will be published Open Access
Four-year agreement supports authors and readers at 77 institutions in Germany
RSC Platinum approach heralds the first new model to support Open Access publishing in RSC's fully OA future
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library, have signed their first truly transformative Open Access agreement, which delivers shared goals of equity for German institutions, a community approach and universal OA for authors.
Beginning in 2024, the four-year agreement bridges the gap to 2028 when the Royal Society of Chemistry plans to transition all its fully RSC-owned journals to Open Access.
The RSC Platinum consortia model in Germany is a new community Open Access model, co-designed by the RSC and TIB, enabling participation from all academic and research institutions, including non-publishing institutions.
The four-year agreement provides unlimited publishing services (submission, peer-review, hosting, indexing, promotion, etc) supporting authors and readers at 77 institutions in Germany. Authors at participating institutions can read and publish in all RSC journals without any author-facing charges. From 2028, under a renewal of the model, all content will be fully Open Access and authors from participating institutions can publish without author charges.
Response to the pilot model has been overwhelmingly positive, signalling the importance of truly transformative and transparent deals to German institutions. 77 institutions have signed up to the RSC’s new RSC Platinum consortium model, ensuring the vast majority of publications in RSC journals from German institutions will be published Open Access. In comparison, the RSC’s previous Read & Publish consortium with TIB covered 31 institutions and approximately 45% of articles from Germany.
Dr. Irina Sens, Deputy Director and Head of Library Operations at TIB, said: “In 2014, TIB concluded its first consortial licensing agreement entailing a publishing component with the RSC. After successfully implementing Open Access goals within the consortium over the past decade, we are very happy to have come to an agreement that heralds the end of this transformative journey.
“Over the next four years, this agreement will assist all parties to move from the current hybrid model to a fully Open Access model in a sustainable and equitable manner. With the entire portfolio covered for the first time, this deal also allows authors to choose their RSC publication venue irrespective of financial considerations.”
Claudia Heidrich, Royal Society of Chemistry EMEAI Sales Manager, said: “This deal is the culmination of an intense year of data gathering, brainstorming, calculating – dreaming of what a new agreement could look like, working hand-in-hand with TIB. It was a truly collaborative process to develop the deal structure we now have – incorporating all of the ideals we were striving for, including equity for institutions, a community approach and universal OA for authors, at the same time ensuring that the agreement is financially viable for the RSC.
“We explored one-to-one conversations with individual institutions, which created a mutual learning of the amount of work that goes into developing and implementing new models for the future. It’s with great excitement that we announce this deal and now move onto the next phase – making sure authors in Germany make the most of the opportunity to publish Open Access in RSC journals”.
This landmark agreement is the first in a series of pilot models the Royal Society of Chemistry plans to roll out to its global institutional customer base to support the transition of RSC-owned journals to Open Access by 2028. The RSC aims for the majority of its authors to be covered by institutional OA agreements by the time it transitions to OA.
Sara Bosshart, Royal Society of Chemistry Head of Open Access, said: “We’re incredibly excited to have developed a new type of model that takes us, as an industry, beyond transformative agreements, to the types of models that can support a fully OA environment and portfolio.
“At the heart of the model, is the potential for participation from all types of institution, including those that don’t publish. We hope that the success of this collaborative model in Germany will serve as a template by which we can develop similar models in other countries to ensure the costs of publication in an OA world are distributed across relevant stakeholders and not the sole-responsibility of research-intensive institutions – or individual authors.”
Notes to Editors
About the Royal Society of Chemistry
We are an international organisation connecting chemical scientists with each other, with other scientists, and with society as a whole. Founded in 1841 and based in London, UK, we have an international membership of over 50,000. We use the surplus from our global publishing and knowledge business to give thousands of chemical scientists the support and resources required to make vital advances in chemical knowledge. We develop, recognise and celebrate professional capabilities, and we bring people together to spark new ideas.
About TIB
TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library provides science, research, industry and business with literature and information – in both printed and electronic form. The library is committed to openness, open access to information, publications and scientific data: it aims to make information and knowledge more easily accessible, more transparent and better reusable. For more information visit the TIB website.