2024 - 2026 Open Access Publishing Framework Agreement for Germany between the Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Medizin (ZB MED) – Informationszentrum Lebenswissenschaften and Frontiers Media SA

Frontiers and the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) have announced the launch of the first transformed framework agreement - a national, fully open access flat-fee deal - for Germany. This landmark agreement is an innovative initiative designed to champion open access to scientific research, and to provide long term budget security for institutions. 

Under this agreement, and through a single annual payment from each participating institution, more than 900 German research centers and libraries will be enabled to support their affiliated researchers to publish an unlimited number of peer-reviewed articles across all Frontiers journals and Frontiers’ partner journals. The agreement is Frontiers’ first flat-fee agreement in Europe and will run for three years starting in January 2024. 

The deal, which has been established through the fruitful collaboration, trust, and shared vision of the negotiating partners, will significantly increase German researchers’ opportunities to publish their research in high-quality open access journals. All public and private research institutions in Germany as well as state, regional, and specialist libraries can opt-in to the agreement. German institutions already taking part in Frontiers’ institutional partnership program may also opt-in to benefit from the deal.  

Press Release: The Transformed Agreement: German library consortium and Frontiers announce world’s largest fully open access agreement (frontiersin.org)