New read and publish deal for Swiss universities
The Royal Society of Chemistry has signed a new Read & Publish agreement with five members of the Swiss Academic Consortium. This is the first Read & Publish contract in Switzerland.
Under this agreement, researchers from ETH Zurich, University of Basel, University of Zurich, University of Geneva and University of Bern have access to our journals content and will be able to publish open access in all hybrid Royal Society of Chemistry journals.
As with previous agreements of this type, it represents a move away from traditional subscription models, but combines reading and open access publishing with a minimum administrative burden on the institution.
Supporting open access
Sybille Geisenheyner from the Royal Society of Chemistry says: "One of our core activities is enabling the publication and sharing of high-quality chemistry research and information from partners around the world.
"We are committed to sustainable open access publishing, so we are pleased to be working with the Swiss institutions to agree tailored contracts that suit their specific needs.
"It is great news that we have signed this new agreement and can support them towards their open access goals."
The agreement is the latest in a series of initiatives by the Royal Society of Chemistry to support the transition to open access, following a similar experimental two-year agreement with MIT in the USA, which is seen as an important step on the path toward making more research freely and openly available to the world.
Rafael Ball, Director of ETH Library, says: "I am very pleased that we are able to conclude future-oriented open access contracts, especially with smaller and medium-sized publishers. They are important partners and help us to make the scientific findings of our universities freely accessible.
"We appreciate the flexible and uncomplicated workflows of our partners. This simplifies the process for libraries and higher education institutions, and leads to greater acceptance of our open access efforts.
"Thanks to the consortium's work, we have taken another important step with this agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry in the accessibility and openness of the Swiss publication landscape."