New 2023 patent data rankings highlight escalating areas of R&D activity

January 10, 2024

Autonomous vehicles, electrical (along with conventional) smoking devices, and laundry mechanisms make the Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies, according to an annual patent study by IFI CLAIMS

U.S. patent grants declined 3.4% from 2022, the lowest level since 2019, and Samsung held onto the top spot for the second year in a row according to IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, world leader in tracking patent application and grant data.

IFI CLAIMS Patent Services is a Digital Science company that compiles and tracks data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other patent-issuing agencies around the globe. IFI translates its world-leading data into an annual U.S. Top 50 and IFI Global 250 patent rankings, providing valuable insights into companies’ R&D activity.

Other findings in IFI’s latest rankings include patent powerhouse chipmakers rising higher in 2023 and a new all-time high in U.S. patent applications. Qualcomm ascended into second place, while TSMC rose to third—according to the 2023 U.S. Top 50 Ranking—ahead of IBM, which had previously held the top spot for 29 years running, until last year when it was unseated by Samsung. U.S. patent applications turned up in 2023 to 418,111, a slight rise over 2022, but a new record, nonetheless.

“The backlog for patent applications at the USPTO has been growing over the last couple of years,” saidRonald Kratz, CEO of IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. “They now have more than 750,000 unexamined applications, which could explain why grants are down. But applications are at an all-time high, an encouraging sign of innovation in the U.S.”

To see the yearly rankings, trends, and insights published today from the world’s most trusted patent data provider, visit the IFI website.

An overview of IFI’s analysis:

· 2023 Top 50, a list of the leading 50 recipients of U.S. grants

· 2023 Global 250, a ranking of the largest active patent holders around the world

· analysis of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies, measured by patent application activity over the past five years

More patents to U.S. companies; fewer to companies in Japan, South Korea, China

The USPTO awarded slightly less than half of the total patent pie to U.S.-based companies, which was up 4.8% from the previous year. American corporations earned 149,522 patents, nearly four times as many as Japan (39,228), in second place. South Korea, China, and Germany finished out the top five, all of them showing decreases in awards over the previous year. Japan (-15.6%), China (-12.5%), and Germany (-15%) dropped dramatically. As a result of China’s decline, it fell back down to fourth place from its third-place perch the previous year. Of the top ten countries earning patent grants, only the U.S., Taiwan, and Canada saw increases in 2023 over 2022.

Rank and patent filings

While Samsung retained its number one ranking, U.S. patent awards for the company decreased by 1.3% to 6,165 from 6,248 last year. Qualcomm climbed five rungs into second place with 3,854 patents, an increase of 47% over the previous year. And TSMC comes in third with 3,687 patents, up 22%. IBM’s ranking ticked down as its patent numbers declined in 2023 to 3,658 from 4,398 the previous year—a result of the company’s continued implementation of a strategy toward “more selective” patenting.

The biggest gainers in rank were VMWare, (+63), Snap (+34), and Capital One (+21). The most dramatic decline was recorded by HP (-25) as patent grants were cut in half compared to 2022. A side note for stock watchers following The Magnificent Seven, the tech companies Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla that were responsible for the lion’s share of the S&P 500’s breathtaking surge: just four of them made IFI’s Top 50 cut.

“Intangible assets are becoming more and more valuable corporate holdings, but the balance sheet doesn’t exactly capture that,” said Kratz. “That’s why it’s important to dig into the details of the patent position for highly innovative companies.”

Fastest Growing Technologies: autonomous vehicles ride again

The fastest growing technology in 2023 is Autonomous Vehicles, which rose 38.3% over the past five years—the second year in a row that this technology has taken the pole position. IFI’s ranking is based on patent applications—a proxy for what is around the bend—and Toyota, Honda, and Waymo are the companies paving the way in the autonomous arena. Other technologies that are growing quickly: both electrical smoking devices (CAGR 35.8%) and conventional cigarettes (CAGR 23.2%), quantum computing (CAGR 23.5%), and laundry control systems (CAGR 21.6%).

“Unlike our other rankings, the Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies is based on a five-year growth rate, not high patent count,” said Kratz. “It’s more of a window into which technologies are attracting R&D attention right now and which companies stand to benefit in the future from patent protection in those spaces.”

For active inventions, Panasonic and Japan remain on top

In 2023, Japanese electronics company Panasonic held first place on IFI’s Global 250 list with 94,337 patent families, followed by Samsung and Hitachi. A patent “family” is a term used to represent the group of patents held around the world to protect a single invention. As such, “family” is used to denote a single invention.

The number of Japanese companies holding spots on the list is 36.4%, more than a third. The U.S. and China each occupy roughly 20% of the placements with 52 and 51 companies, respectively. No U.S. company claimed a Top 10 spot in this ranking; the three highest appearances from American companies are IBM, coming in at 16, with 43,033 active patent families, followed by Microsoft (ranked 27), and GE (40).

Patent activity provides valuable insight into companies’ R&D activity for researchers, analysts, and investors. Often the true value of a company lies with its intellectual properties, so examining patent assets is a key tool in gauging the intangible assets of publicly traded companies. It speaks to productivity, technological efficiency and IP strategy, and frequently reveals technology trends and the competitive landscape within various industries.

To create your own analysis, visit the IFI CLAIMS Live 1000, a free tool which uses data from the top 1000 companies that received patents across multiple countries and patent jurisdictions.The tool shows live data an

The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) Partners with Silverchair for Unified Digital Library

January 10, 2024

Silverchair announced today a new partnership with The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the world’s leading organization dedicated to the protection of assets and performance materials. The new unified digital library on the Silverchair Platform will serve as a repository for AMPP’s vast range of content, including primary research, industry standards, technical and professional publications, and educational materials. It will also provide a platform for AMPP to expand its reach, offering its valuable resources to a wider global audience.

AMPP protects infrastructure and assets worldwide through member and workforce education and credentialing, company accreditation, technological innovation, and global standardization. As part of a content unification initiative, AMPP sought to create a digital library that brings together their wide array of content, including standards, their flagship journal Corrosion, Materials Performance Magazine, Coatings Pro Magazine, 30 books, and more than 22,000 conference papers. The digital library will leverage Silverchair’s scalable, responsive technology to provide access to a wealth of materials for AMPP’s growing audience of scholars and professionals.

“Our partnership with AMPP symbolizes the alignment of our missions to disseminate valuable knowledge and resources on a global scale,” said Will Schweitzer, Silverchair’s CEO. “The AMPP team has ambitious plans for the important resources they publish, and we’re delighted to partner with them in delivering a unified platform and providing their team with the tools and services to assemble varied content sets into the next generation of knowledge products for their audience.”

“We are beyond delighted to partner with Silverchair, creating the way for us to bring much of our content under one umbrella,” said Mandy May, Director, Content Management at AMPP. “This is particularly significant in that we are aggregating legacy knowledge resource content from our historical organizations, providing a tangible way to demonstrate our AMPP mission and vision. It will be a truly user-friendly experience, making our library accessible and the content discoverable for our entire global audience.”

Springer Nature amplifies early sharing and peer review integration across 1000+ journals

January 3, 2024

In Review, the innovative service which integrates early sharing and increased transparency with the journal submission and peer review process, is now available on over 1000 Springer Nature journals, including the Discover Journals. With the service already integrated across its BMC, Nature and Springer portfolios, the latest roll out means In Review is now available on over a third of Springer Nature’s portfolio, enabling more authors to benefit from the service.

Eugenie Regan, VP Research Solutions commented:

“Transparency in research is an increasingly important tool, and topic, within the ecosystem of research communication. It enables greater sharing, discussion and growth of research and research data, building on the use and re-usability of research and supporting the wider goals of open science.”

“We have always been committed to ensuring transparency around the peer review and publication process. In Review delivers on this commitment. 1000+ journals integrated with the service is a fantastic milestone to reach – and we look forward to supporting more authors in the development and sharing of their research.”

Authors submitting to an In Review title can opt in or out to the service. Those opting in are able to easily cite and share their work while it is still under review, and receive real time updates on the peer review process. If the paper is rejected after peer review, the preprint continues to remain available on the platform, but with all information about imprint and peer review status removed. A further 100+ journals will be added before year end.

In Review is part of the publisher’s portfolio of author services which seek to provide quality, integrated services to ease the burden on researchers, increase transparency, simplify and speed up the publishing experience.

EBSCO Information Services unveils Innovative AI Center for Clinical Decisions

January 3, 2024

A team of clinical and health care experts from EBSCO Information Services’ (EBSCO) Clinical Decisions embarks on a journey to leverage generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology within its point-of-care resources, with the goal to deliver faster-than-ever access to their industry-leading, evidence-based, expert-curated, trusted information to clinicians, nurses and health care professionals.

In today’s technological health care environment, clinicians must take several steps to access the clinical information they need, inputting a query into a search interface, then reviewing the search results and navigating to a topic to find answers. Clinical experts at Clinical Decisions are exploring the use of AI to bring answers directly to the bedside, making it easy to obtain near instantaneous answers, leveraging the use of large language models (LLMs) within EBSCO’s trusted, evidence-based environment.

When considering the use of AI in a clinical environment, a judicious approach is necessary, especially considering clinical diagnosis and treatment. The Clinical Decisions editorial team, led by Dr. Peter Oettgen, Editor-in-Chief, DynaMed^®, Diane Hanson, Editor-in-Chief, Dynamic Health^™, and Dr. Katherine Eisenberg, Sr. Medical Director, Clinical Decisions, is releasing principles for the responsible use of AI, centered around quality, security and patient privacy, transparency, governance and equity.

EBSCO Vice President of Product Management, DynaMedex^™, Julia Colpitts, says the team is prioritizing a safe environment, first and foremost. “Patient safety is our top priority. Our ‘walled garden’ approach ensures access to trusted, evidence-based content, developed by clinical experts following our rigorous editorial process. With the right safeguards in place, our team is exploring AI-based tools collaboratively, among our team of technologists, clinicians, subject matter experts and clinical editors, to ensure no stone is unturned.”

EBSCO Vice President of Product Management Dynamic Health, Peter Darcy, says this initiative reflects the team’s commitment to enhancing patient care. “By safely and appropriately leveraging the power of AI, we’re looking to decrease time to answer while providing accurate, evidence-based information to health care professionals, when and where they need it. Our goal is to help patients and caregivers arrive at the answers they need, positively impacting patient outcomes.”

For more information on this initiative, please visit: https://more.ebsco.com/Innovation-Center.html.

Commission welcomes political agreement on Artificial Intelligence Act*

January 3, 2024

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), proposed by the Commission in April 2021.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “Artificial intelligence is already changing our everyday lives. And this is just the beginning. Used wisely and widely, AI promises huge benefits to our economy and society. Therefore, I very much welcome today’s political agreement by the European Parliament and the Council on the Artificial Intelligence Act. The EU’s AI Act is the first-ever comprehensive legal framework on Artificial Intelligence worldwide. So, this is a historic moment. The AI Act transposes European values to a new era. By focusing regulation on identifiable risks, today’s agreement will foster responsible innovation in Europe. By guaranteeing the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses, it will support the development, deployment and take-up of trustworthy AI in the EU. Our AI Act will make a substantial contribution to the development of global rules and principles for human-centric AI.”

The European approach to trustworthy AI

The new rules will be applied directly in the same way across all Member States, based on a future-proof definition of AI. They follow a risk-based approach:

Minimal risk: The vast majority of AI systems fall into the category of minimal risk. Minimal risk applications such as AI-enabled recommender systems or spam filters will benefit from a free-pass and absence of obligations, as these systems present only minimal or no risk for citizens’ rights or safety. On a voluntary basis, companies may nevertheless commit to additional codes of conduct for these AI systems.

High-risk: AI systems identified as high-risk will be required to comply with strict requirements, including risk-mitigation systems, high quality of data sets, logging of activity, detailed documentation, clear user information, human oversight, and a high level of robustness, accuracy and cybersecurity. Regulatory sandboxes will facilitate responsible innovation and the development of compliant AI systems.

Examples of such high-risk AI systems include certain critical infrastructures for instance in the fields of water, gas and electricity; medical devices; systems to determine access to educational institutions or for recruiting people; or certain systems used in the fields of law enforcement, border control, administration of justice and democratic processes. Moreover, biometric identification, categorisation and emotion recognition systems are also considered high-risk.

Unacceptable risk: AI systems considered a clear threat to the fundamental rights of people will be banned. This includes AI systems or applications that manipulate human behaviour to circumvent users’ free will, such as toys using voice assistance encouraging dangerous behaviour of minors or systems that allow ‘social scoring’ by governments or companies, and certain applications of predictive policing. In addition, some uses of biometric systems will be prohibited, for example emotion recognition systems used at the workplace and some systems for categorising people or real time remote biometric identification for law enforcement purposes in publicly accessible spaces (with narrow exceptions).

Specific transparency risk: When employing AI systems such as chatbots, users should be aware that they are interacting with a machine. Deep fakes and other AI generated content will have to be labelled as such, and users need to be informed when biometric categorisation or emotion recognition systems are being used. In addition, providers will have to design systems in a way that synthetic audio, video, text and images content is marked in a machine-readable format, and detectable as artificially generated or manipulated.

Fines

Companies not complying with the rules will be fined. Fines would range from €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher) for violations of banned AI applications, €15 million or 3% for violations of other obligations and €7.5 million or 1.5% for supplying incorrect information. More proportionate caps are foreseen for administrative fines for SMEs and start-ups in case of infringements of the AI Act.

General purpose AI

The AI Act introduces dedicated rules for general purpose AI models that will ensure transparency along the value chain. For very powerful models that could pose systemic risks, there will be additional binding obligations related to managing risks and monitoring serious incidents, performing model evaluation and adversarial testing. These new obligations will be operationalised through codes of practices developed by industry, the scientific community, civil society and other stakeholders together with the Commission.

In terms of governance, national competent market surveillance authorities will supervise the implementation of the new rules at national level, while the creation of a new European AI Office within the European Commission will ensure coordination at European level. The new AI Office will also supervise the implementation and enforcement of the new rules on general purpose AI models. Along with the national market surveillance authorities, the AI Office will be the first body globally that enforces binding rules on AI and is therefore expected to become an international reference point. For general purpose models, a scientific panel of independent experts will play a central role by issuing alerts on systemic risks and contributing to classifying and testing the models.

Next Steps

The political agreement is now subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council and will entry into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. The AI Act would then become applicable two years after its entry into force, except for some specific provisions: Prohibitions will already apply after 6 months while the rules on General Purpose AI will apply after 12 months.

To bridge the transitional period before the Regulation becomes generally applicable, the Commission will be launching an AI Pact. It will convene AI developers from Europe and around the world who commit on a voluntary basis to implement key obligations of the AI Act ahead of the legal deadlines.

To promote rules on trustworthy AI at international level, the European Union will continue to work in fora such as the G7, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the G20 and the UN. Just recently, we supported the agreement by G7 leaders under the Hiroshima AI process on International Guiding Principles and a voluntary Code of Conduct for Advanced AI systems.

Background

For years, the Commission has been facilitating and enhancing cooperation on AI across the EU to boost its competitiveness and ensure trust based on EU values.

Following the publication of the European Strategy on AI in 2018 and after extensive stakeholder consultation, the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (HLEG) developed Guidelines for Trustworthy AI in 2019, and an Assessment List for Trustworthy AI in 2020. In parallel, the first Coordinated Plan on AI was published in December 2018 as a joint commitment with Member States.

The Commission’s White Paper on AI, published in 2020, set out a clear vision for AI in Europe: an ecosystem of excellence and trust, setting the scene for today’s political agreement. The public consultation on the White Paper on AI elicited widespread participation from across the world. The White Paper was accompanied by a ‘Report on the safety and liability implications of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and robotics‘ concluding that the current product safety legislation contains a number of gaps that needed to be addressed, notably in the Machinery Directive.

Independent, evidence-based research produced by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) has been fundamental in shaping the EU’s AI policies and ensuring their effective implementation. Through rigorous research and analysis, the JRC has supported the development of the AI Act, informing AI terminology, risk classification, technical requirements and contributing to the ongoing development of harmonised standards.

MDPI and TU Delft Adopting Flat Fee Model in Extended Partnership

January 3, 2024

MDPI, the no. 1 scholarly open access publisher, is pleased to announce a renewed three-year partnership with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The agreement features a fixed lump-sum fee covering publishing for the entire duration, from 2024 through 2026.

Effectively, during the next three years, authors affiliated with TU Delft will have the opportunity to publish in any journal under MDPI at zero cost.

Up until 2023, researchers from TU Delft have published 2280 articles in MDPI journals, with an average citation rate of 11.5 per article (Web of Science data as of 12 December 2023).

The new type of agreement significantly supports the removal of barriers for authors seeking to publish in MDPI’s open access journals. It aligns with MDPI’s broader effort to offer tailored solutions to institutions fully adopting the open access model, aiding libraries and researchers in complying with Plan S and open access mandates.

Effective from 1 January 2024, under the terms of this agreement, TU Delft corresponding authors will enjoy unlimited publishing in MDPI journals without incurring any article processing charges. The editorial process remains consistent with that of all other articles submitted to our journals. Authors can submit manuscripts as usual using their institutional email, and if the criteria are met (affiliation with TU Delft and corresponding authorship), the invoice will be approved through the Flat Fee workflow.

Commenting on the partnership, Louise Otting, Collection Manager at TU Delft said: “MDPI’s Flat Fee model provides stability for our authors, and it helps the library reliably budget for Open Access costs.”

“This extended cooperation reflects both parties’ commitment to a publishing model that propels researchers toward a transparent and inclusive form of publishing,” said Stefan Tochev, MDPI’s CEO. “We have all the necessary resources at hand to be the most reliable publishing partner.”

Becky Castellon, MDPI’s Institutional Partnerships Manager for Northern Europe, said: “With the new agreement in place, we can better assist TU Delft’s researchers in increasing their global reach and impact. The introduction of a Flat Fee model means MDPI is offering highly competitive pricing while ensuring our partners benefit from high predictability for their budget planning.”

Institutions interested in exploring the benefits of MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP) are encouraged to reach out for further details. For inquiries and to discover how your institution can leverage this opportunity, please contact our IOAP team at ioap@mdpi.com.

De Gruyter launches recommended all-cash offer for Brill securities

January 3, 2024

With reference to the publication of the Offer Memorandum today, Brill and De Gruyter jointly announce that De Gruyter is making a recommended public offer to all Securityholders for all Securities at an Offer Price of EUR 27.50 per Security (cum dividend).

Find the full press release here.

Jennifer Schivas and David Leeming become CEO and CTO of 67 Bricks

January 3, 2024

Jennifer Schivas has been promoted to CEO of 67 Bricks following a restructuring of the leadership team. The new title recognises the work Schivas has done to take over the company’s running from the co-founders, Sam Herbert and Inigo Surguy, who both move to Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors.

In addition, David Leeming moves from Delivery Director to CTO and takes full ownership of the technology strategy for the consultancy firm.

‘The company we founded 16 years ago is going through an exciting period of development,’ commented Sam Herbert, ‘and we’re delighted to have Jennifer take the reins as CEO to take 67 Bricks into the future.’

The new structure reflects the growing success of 67 Bricks as it provides vital technology leadership to the publishing world. The company’s client base has seen a real diversification in the last few years, from AI consultancy for private equity firms, to technology strategy consultancy for scholarly publishers, to full content platform builds for B2B information companies such as The Economist and IWSR.

Jennifer added ‘Now, more than ever, we’re speaking to business leaders who need experienced technologists to help them navigate the fast-moving and uncertain landscape they find themselves in. I’m proud to be tasked with ensuring 67 Bricks remains the trusted voice of reason against the noisy backdrop of change in the information industry.’

PubHive: Centralized SmPC with AI-powered Pharmacovigilance Workflows

January 3, 2024

PubHive Ltd., a leading provider of AI-powered scientific literature & safety information workflows, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking centralized SmPC (Summary of Product Characteristics) management with AI-powered pharmacovigilance workflows for life science companies, CROs (Clinical Research Organizations) and their pharmacovigilance and drug safety divisions. This groundbreaking solution simplifies compliance, streamlines processes, and empowers pharmacovigilance teams to work smarter, faster, and more effectively.

Say goodbye to siloed information and manual processes. PubHive’s unified platform consolidates all SmPC data and documents into a single source of truth, ensuring consistency and accessibility across teams and locations. AI-powered features automate tedious tasks like document analysis and version control, freeing up PV experts to focus on high-value activities like signal detection and risk assessment.

Key benefits of Centralized SmPC and AI-powered Pharmacovigilance Workflows:

Centralized SmPC Management: PubHive provides a centralized repository for SmPCs, making it easy to access, update, and distribute this critical documentation. Say goodbye to scattered and outdated SmPCs.
AI-powered Pharmacovigilance: Harness the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance pharmacovigilance efforts. PubHive’s AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data, helping to detect adverse events, identify trends, and streamline reporting.
Compliance and Efficiency: Stay compliant with regulatory requirements effortlessly. PubHive’s automated workflows ensure that your pharmacovigilance processes are efficient, accurate, and in line with industry standards.
Collaboration and Communication: Foster collaboration within your organization and with external stakeholders. PubHive enables seamless sharing of information and insights, improving decision-making and patient safety.
Real-time Alerts and Notifications: Receive real-time alerts on critical pharmacovigilance events. PubHive keeps you informed and proactive in addressing potential issues.
Customizable Workflows: Create standardized research pathways tailored to specific PV Workflow for ICSR, Signal and Aggregate Safety Reporting. This customization ensures users can access the resources and data tailored to their workflow requirements.

Transforming Pharmacovigilance:

“Traditionally, pharmacovigilance has been plagued by siloed data, manual processes, and time-consuming workflows,” says Raj Vaghela, CEO at PubHive. “By providing a single platform, centralized SmPCs and AI-powered Pharmacovigilance workflows break down these barriers, empowering pharmacovigilance teams to work proactively, efficiently, and with greater confidence. This is not just about compliance; it’s about building a safer future for patients.”

Benefits for Life Science Companies and CROs:

Reduced costs and increased efficiency through automation and streamlined processes.
Improved data visibility and insights for faster risk identification and mitigation.
Enhanced regulatory compliance and reduced risk of penalties.
Improved collaboration and communication within and across teams.
Empowered pharmacovigilance teams to focus on strategic activities and patient safety.

PubHive’s centralized SmPC and AI-powered workflows are changing the game for pharmacovigilance. By automating tasks, enhancing insights, and streamlining compliance, PubHive empowers Life Science companies and CROs to deliver safer medicines and improve patient outcomes.

PubHive is committed to providing innovative solutions that drive efficiency, collaboration, and productivity within the life science industry. For more information about PubHive Navigator and to explore its capabilities, please visit the PubHive website at https://pubhive.com.

Wiley, Aries Systems, and Charlesworth Partner to Enhance Author Communications in China

January 3, 2024

Charlesworth has partnered with Wiley, a global leader in research and learning, and Aries Systems, a leading technology provider of workflow management solutions, to power an improved author experience in China by integrating message notifications from Aries’ Editorial Manager^® (EM) into WeChat using the award-winning Charlesworth Gateway.

Charlesworth Gateway is a customer marketing and messaging app currently used for improving the communication and publishing experience for Authors in China via WeChat. The Charlesworth Gateway creates an enhanced user experience for Authors by connecting publishers’ WeChat accounts to their proprietary or third-party manuscript submission system. The Gateway integration with Editorial Manager provides an out-of-the-box messaging solution to their global STM publisher clients and subsequent researchers based in China.

This integrated solution allows Wiley to identify which manuscript status milestones to communicate to their authors directly in EM. The Gateway notification service provides Authors with a convenient way to check the status of their submitted manuscripts through WeChat, eliminating the need for additional email correspondence. Streamlined publisher workflows and increased transparency for Authors will result in improved efficiency, cost savings, and an enhanced Wiley-Author relationship.

Wiley Group VP and General Manager, China, Philip Kisray, said, “Chinese researchers help move our world forward every day. We’re excited to offer this enhanced workflow to support editorial processes and enable quicker, more efficient lines of communication.”

“Aries is dedicated to making global business easier for publishers through its enabling technology and strategic partnerships,” said Aries Systems’ Director of Sales, Pierre Montagano. “Together with Charlesworth, we are thrilled to offer Wiley an enhanced Author experience in China by streamlining editorial communication and workflows.”

Charlesworth’s CEO, Michael Evans, said, “We are delighted to be working with Wiley as one of the first publishers to use this combined service to enhance their authors’ experience in China. China is one of the world’s largest producers of scientific, engineering and technology research and WeChat is the number one social platform in China, with over 1.3 billion active users, making it essential to provide a personalised and seamless Author experience for Authors in the region.”

Wiley joins Taylor & Francis, the Institute of Physics and Dove as early adopters of the Gateway, helping to enhance the Author experience in China.

IOP Publishing expands open access in Asia Pacific region with its first Read and Publish agreement in Taiwan

December 20, 2023

IOP Publishing (IOPP) has secured its first ‘Read and Publish’ transformative agreement in Taiwan, demonstrating its dedication to expanding open access (OA) to research in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and at scale globally.

The three-year transformative agreement with the Physics Research Promotion Centre, which is part of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), will enable 20 Taiwanese universities to offer their researchers unlimited OA publishing at no cost to them. The agreement will also allow authors to retain copyright of their work and gives reading access to all IOPP research published over the last 10 years.

IOPP is actively securing transformative agreements across the world to advance open science by providing authors funded routes to publish their work openly. The number of academic institutions benefiting from read and publish agreements with IOPP has grown from 350 institutions in 2022 to 943 institutions worldwide. This is IOPP’s sixth transformative agreement in the Asia Pacific region.

The advantages of OA publishing are widely recognised by funders, institutions and researchers. A survey commissioned by IOPP together with other leading society publishers shows that 83% of respondents from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan say they agree with the principles of OA, yet 15% say they don’t have the funds to publish their work openly.

Julian Wilson, Chief Sales Officer at IOPP said: “We’re truly aligned with the Physics Research Promotion Centre in our shared passion for the physical sciences. Our agreement supports the growing uptake of open access in the region enabling eligible researchers to reach more people with their work. We’re excited to be part of that transformation.”

Professor Po-Chung Chen, Director at the Physics Research Promotion Centre: “Our transformative agreement with IOPP will help us deliver on our mission to promote the development of physics in Taiwan. With this agreement, more research will be available openly which will truly help expand the reach of some of Taiwan’s most influential academic institutions.”

Nature recognised for contribution to climate science with international award

December 20, 2023

International science journal Nature received the Environmental Personality of the Year at the 24th Ecovidrio awards in a ceremony in Madrid today (Tuesday 19^th December) for its extensive track record in disseminating the latest scientific discoveries and research, including on the biodiversity crisis, climate change and its effects.

The awards are hosted by Ecovidrio, the non-profit responsible for managing glass recycling across Spain, and previous winners include former Director of the UNFCCC Christina Figuerres and Jane Goodall. This is the first year that a research journal has received the award.

Editor in Chief of Nature Magdalena Skipper said:

“This award is a fantastic endorsement of the critical role Nature plays in communicating about critical topics including climate change to both scientific audiences and the general public, across the world. We are in great company with previous winners, and are grateful to Ecovidrio for recognising the importance of science and trusted research in identifying solutions to the pressing global challenges, and ultimately speeding up the progress we desperately need for the future.

“I’m also pleased to join this award ceremony on behalf of my Nature and Springer Nature colleagues, all of whom are dedicated to seeing a world made better by the sharing of trusted knowledge, research and education across all disciplines.”

Nature’s publisher Springer Nature Group has commended the journal for its success, acknowledging the vital importance of science and research and highlighting how the publisher supports sustainability more broadly in Spain.

Joyce Lorigan, Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Lead at Springer Nature Group said:

“One of our flagship brands, we are delighted to see Nature win this award. Their research and journalism consistently pushes the dial forward when it comes to important conversations on climate, whether that’s through the discoveries they unveil to the world or the voices they give a platform to. We’re proud to be the publisher of Nature and its sister journals, as well as other brands that are equally committed to sharing knowledge on global sustainability. That includes Macmillan Education, which has a significant footprint in Spain and which, through its Advancing Futures programme, is teaching school children about sustainability because we need people of all ages to collaborate in creating a more positive future.”

Sustainability is a core part of Springer Nature Group’s business strategy. In 2023, their net zero science-based targets were verified by the Science Based Targets initiative. They have also been carbon neutral since 2020 for their offices, warehouses, fleet and flights through purchasing high quality carbon offsets. They also aim to accelerate solutions to global challenges through the content they publish, including over 800,000 articles and book chapters relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals since their inception in 2015, collectively cited over 9.5 million times. Find out more in the Springer Nature Group annual Sustainable Business Report.

Springer Nature Group’s largest presence in Spain is with Macmillan Education Iberia. Since it launched in Spain in 2007, Macmillan Education has published more than 2,200 digital books and textbooks in the country, including 600 titles in children’s and young adult literature. More than 68,000 teachers in over 10,000 schools teach with Macmillan Education products, reaching more than 2.2 million students. With offices in 6 Spanish cities and more than 200 employees, the company’s educational products and services are at the forefront of educational innovation, using research into the teaching needs of schools in order to prioritise the areas that best respond to the requests of teachers and students.

Other Springer Nature Group’s businesses in Spain are Springer Healthcare and Springer Nature Spain.