UK universities renew national open access deal with Frontiers

Researchers from over 160 UK universities will continue to benefit from a simplified and streamlined route to open access publishing, thanks to the renewal of JISC collections’ partnership with gold open access publisher Frontiers. 

The initial partnership with JISC, which undertakes negotiations and licensing for digital content agreements on behalf of UK universities, was first agreed in September 2019. It has been a landmark deal for researchers, furthering access to open science in the UK. 

Under the renewed deal, which runs from 1 January to 31 December 2023, JISC member universities retain control of funding eligibility and benefit from a 10% national discount rate on publication costs. Dedicated account managers ensure a personalized customer experience. 

Researchers affiliated with participating organizations can access personalized dashboards for engagement monitoring, collaborative peer-review and enhanced dissemination tools. 

Ronald Buitenhuis, head of institutional partnerships at Frontiers, said: “We are delighted to further our partnership with JISC Collections and support open science in the UK. Solid relationships with UK institutions are essential and we aim to support their librarians and researchers. Frontiers is committed to offering flexible models that fit the needs of our current and future partners.” 

All submitted articles remain subject to Frontiers’ editorial processes, including rigorous peer review, and all accepted articles are published under an open license (CC-BY) that allows authors (or their institutions) to retain copyright. 

As a current partner, JISC will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of Frontiers partnership models and a further agreement is being negotiated for 2024.