India, the third-largest producer of research papers globally in 2022, is addressing a major challenge: the inability of thousands of students and researchers to access many papers due to high journal subscription costs. Science.org has reported that the Indian government has announced a groundbreaking deal with multiple publishers to provide an estimated 18 million students, faculty, and researchers free access to nearly 13,000 academic journals via a single portal.
The initiative, dubbed the One Nation One Subscription scheme, will begin on 1 January 2025. According to Science.org, India will spend approximately $715 million over three years to secure access from 30 leading publishers, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and AAAS, the publisher of Science.
This annual expenditure surpasses the $200 million that government-funded institutions spent on separate subscriptions in 2018. However, the deal offers broader coverage, including more journals and institutions, making it a valuable investment, says Devika Madalli, director of the Information and Library Network Centre, which oversees the initiative.
Science.org reports that the agreement, the result of two years of negotiations, is the largest of its kind globally, outpacing similar deals in Germany and the United Kingdom, which involved single publishers and covered fewer institutions.
India’s arrangement will encompass about 6,300 government-funded institutions, which contribute nearly half of the nation’s research output. Currently, only 2,300 institutions have access to 8,000 journals, highlighting the potential impact of this initiative.
“Universities that aren’t well-funded and cannot afford many journals will benefit,” said Aniket Sule of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, as quoted by Science.org. He added that specialist institutes focusing on niche fields will now have access to interdisciplinary research, enriching their academic resources. Institutions can still independently subscribe to journals not covered under the scheme if needed.
A portion of the $715 million budget will also be allocated to cover article processing charges (APCs), enabling researchers to publish their work as open access, free for anyone worldwide to read immediately upon publication. Although the exact framework for this component is still under discussion, it could significantly reduce the financial burden on Indian scholars, who often struggle with APCs averaging $2,000 per article, Science.org noted.
Rahul Siddharthan of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences welcomed this development, Science.org reported, noting that it addresses a critical need for affordable open-access publishing in India.
However, Science.org highlighted that the initiative has drawn criticism for its continued reliance on subscription-based models. Sridhar Gutam, founder of Open Access India, argued that the focus should shift to more sustainable approaches, such as the “diamond open-access” model, where governments or other funders cover publishing costs, making articles free for both authors and readers.
Critics also contend, as noted by Science.org, that the deal’s $715 million price tag could have been better spent on bolstering research stipends and laboratory facilities. “At best, this is a short-term measure,” said Gutam, adding that the global trend toward open access diminishes the long-term value of such agreements.
The growing prevalence of open access—estimated at 50% of all new articles worldwide—has sparked debates about the future of academic publishing. While the new subscription scheme addresses immediate accessibility challenges, Science.org reported that reformers argue systemic changes are needed to reduce dependence on traditional European and U.S. publishers, which many view as restrictive.
“The current plan fills a short-term goal,” Gutam said to Science.org, “but the larger system needs reform to ensure equitable and sustainable access to knowledge.”
The initiative marks a pivotal moment for Indian academia, Science.org concluded, promising immediate benefits while igniting conversations about the long-term transformation of the scholarly publishing landscape.
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