The Centre announced the One-Nation-One-Subscription (ONOS) scheme, aiming to triple the number of State-affiliated colleges and individual beneficiaries accessing top global research journals. Starting January 1, 2025, the scheme will provide access to government institutions, including State colleges and research bodies. A review in 2027 will consider private universities and colleges, said Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Sood.
The scheme will more than double the Centre’s annual spending on subscriptions, with an expected outlay of ₹6,000 crore for 2025-2027. It will increase access to 62% more journals, covering 95% of published research in sciences and humanities.
The ONOS scheme will include an Article Processing Charges (APC) fund of ₹150 crore. APC costs allow researchers to make their papers freely available. Charges range from ₹80,000 to ₹9.1 lakh, depending on the journal. Mr. Sood noted a process will determine eligibility for funding and journal selection.
Despite negotiations, the scheme has not fully reduced APC charges. Discounts for select journals are under consideration. The initiative aims to balance access expansion with the promotion of open-access publication.
The scheme will benefit 6,300 institutions and nearly 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers through the Information and Library Network, an autonomous UGC center. Users can access and download papers even outside their campuses.
Experts believe ONOS will improve access for underserved institutions and bridge research gaps. However, they emphasize that achieving affordable, credible open-access publishing remains a distant goal. Negotiations with publishers to lower costs and broaden access have faced challenges, but ONOS is a significant step forward.
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