Another step forward for Open Access: New agreement with Springer Nature Group

This article is based on a press release from Universities Denmark

There must be immediate, free access to Danish research publications as soon as they are published, and Danish universities will not accept historically high price increases for reading access to research publications from other countries.

These were the demands the Royal Danish Library brought to the table for negotiations with the publishing house Springer Nature Group in autumn 2022. These demands were formulated in the light of the previous two years’ negotiations with the publishers Elsevier and Wiley, and were in alignment with Universities Denmark’s ambition to provide access to the universities’ research to the benefit of society as a whole.

After an intense negotiation process, a four-year agreement has been concluded with Springer Nature Group, which Universities Denmark describes as “particularly satisfactory” in its press release. The agreement ensures immediate Open Access to Danish works published on Springer Compact, as well as reading access to an unchanged portfolio of both Springer and Nature journals.

So far, it has not been possible to make a new license agreement with Nature regarding Open Access. The current agreement has therefore been extended by one year, and new negotiations are planned for autumn 2023, when the Royal Danish Library will also enter into negotiations with the publishers Taylor & Francis. In the near future, Universities Denmark will assess the possible implications of not being able to reach agreements that live up to the national objectives regarding Open Access.

Read more about the agreement and see how researchers can publish Open Access articles on Springer Compact.