Springer Nature signs new TA

Springer Nature has agreed a Transformative Agreement (TA) with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India. The agreement marks the first TA by any publicly funded department in India, which Springer Nature says is a significant leap forward for India's research and academic community.

The deal will allow all 50+ centers affiliated to the DAE to read and publish Gold Open Access (OA) - an article is published immediately as OA in an online journal of book and is available for all to use and reuse from the moment it is published - in Springer Nature's 2,000+ hybrid journals across all disciplines. The publisher says this agreement marks a milestone in the journey towards universal access to research findings and represents a collaborative effort to accelerate the transition to open science.

The deal is the latest development in Springer Nature’s longstanding partnership with the DAE, India. As part of this collaboration, both Springer Nature and DAE will work together to promote open access principles and remove barriers to the dissemination of scholarly research. The agreement encompasses a range of initiatives designed to foster innovation, transparency, research integrity and accessibility in academic publishing. As part of Gold OA, the visibility and impact of Indian research will be enhanced, and its global reach will foster greater international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Commenting on the agreement, Carolyn Honour, chief commercial officer of Springer Nature Group, said: “I am delighted that the Department of Atomic Energy has chosen to extend its partnership with Springer Nature on their Open Science journey. This is the first time DAE has consolidated all its member subscription as a consortium and we are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey to advance scientific discovery, increase publishing options and reach for Indian researchers. This deal is a testament not only to our strong partnerships and experience in delivering sustainable transformative deals, but also to our commitment to drive positive change in the scholarly communication landscape and ensure that research findings are accessible to all."

Echoing these sentiments, Dr Arun Kumar Nayak, head of Nuclear Controls and Planning Wing (NPCW) at the Department of Atomic Energy, who also led this project in the department said: “Our chairman was instrumental in taking these decisions and this is a historic moment for all the scientists and research scholars in the DAE family and the country. This deal also lays the foundation for many more such agreements in the future which will be instrumental in ensuring that our country’s scientific temperament is known to the world.”

Commenting further Dr. Deepali Kuberkar, head of the department of library sciences, TMC & coordinator, One DAE One Subscription (ODOS) said: “ODOS is an important turning point for DAE and its scientific community. We look forward to our collaboration with Springer Nature to help advance and spread the culture of knowledge and learning to better the world. Here on, our focus will be on publishing world class literature.”

The deal will benefit 5,000+ researchers across DAE with simplified workflows and easy author journey, added the publisher. The partnership between Springer Nature and the DAE exemplifies a collaborative approach to advancing open access publishing and promoting the free exchange of knowledge. This TA will have an impact on the academic publishing landscape in India and pave way for discussions for a potential national or regional agreement.