ACS inks ‘read and publish’ agreements with German consortia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2023 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) proudly announces two new “read and publish” agreements with the Helmholtz and Niedersachsen consortia in Germany, effective January 2023. The agreements — ACS Publications’ first transformative agreements with German consortia in almost three years — offer researchers at 24 German institutions the opportunity to publish open research with one of the world’s most trusted publishers at no cost to the researcher, while also meeting funder requirements for open access. ACS invites researchers in this community to take full advantage of this agreement by submitting their next paper to the ACS journal of their choice. 

“We are keen to ease the process of open access publishing for researchers at our member institutions and look forward to working with ACS to raise the profile of German science,” says Bernhard Mittermaier, library director at Forschungszentrum Jülich (Research Center Jülich), on behalf of the Helmholtz consortium.

With both the Helmholtz and Niedersachsen consortium agreements running until the end of 2025, thousands of researchers from Germany in chemistry and related disciplines will be able to publish their research with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) in more than 75 of the most-respected peer-reviewed journals in science. These arrangements underscore ACS’ commitment to enable open access publication and to broaden German researchers’ ability to publish in ACS journals. They also represent a significant expansion of available compliant routes to publication.

“We’re excited to be working with both consortia to bring read and publish access to more researchers,” says Frankie Martin, Europe, Middle East, and Africa sales director at ACS Publications. “These agreements help ensure a sustainable transition to open access and the widest possible audience for high-impact science.”

“We are pleased that we could reach this significant agreement that enables our researchers to publish freely in ACS journals,” says Alexander Pöche, head of license management at Technische Informationsbibliothek (German National Library of Science and Technology), on behalf of the Niedersachsen consortium. “Our member institutions produce outstanding science, and this new agreement will expand its visibility across the world.”

The new agreement illustrates ACS’ commitment to developing sustainable routes to open science by supporting organizations as they forge their unique paths. “Transformative agreements such as read and publish help more researchers publish open access, making their research freely available to the world,” says Sybille Geisenheyner, director of open science licensing and strategy at ACS. “ACS is constantly innovating new solutions that reduce the burden for authors, funders and librarians to support open science. We are excited to work with organizations to help them take their next steps towards open science.” 

Learn more about ACS read and publish agreements.

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Forschungszentrum Jülich negotiated on behalf of the Helmholtz Consortium. With the mission of “shaping change,” Forschungszentrum Jülich has almost 7,120 people work hand-in-hand, which includes 934 visiting scientists. It is one of the largest interdisciplinary research institutions in Europe and, as a member of the Helmholtz Association, it contributes to solving major social challenges. The Central Library is responsible for supplying employees of Forschungszentrum Jülich with a comprehensive and high-quality range of literature and information, as well as providing services in the areas of information management, publications and bibliometrics. It is committed to the principles of open science.

Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB) negotiated on behalf of the Niedersachsen Consortium. TIB provides science, research, industry and business with literature and information. The library is committed to openness, open access to information, publications and scientific data. It aims to make information and knowledge more easily accessible, transparent and reusable. To this purpose, TIB organizes consortia for academic institutions in Lower Saxony and Germany for the joint licensing of important resources and the development of future-oriented licensing models.

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