Jisc and EDP Sciences strike ‘Flexible Maths Journals Agreement. The agreement offers UK universities a special rate and the chance to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to open access by supporting ‘Subscribe to Open’ journals.
EDP Sciences is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with Jisc, the membership organisation providing digital solutions for UK education and research. From 1 January 2021, for a fixed, discounted price, the ‘EDP Sciences Flexible Maths Journals Package 2021-2023’ offers online read access to four (out of six) maths journals, with no fees to publish and a green compliant option for all Plan S funded articles.
Overall, six journals are included in the agreement, namely:
ESAIM: Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis
ESAIM: Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations
ESAIM: Probability and Statistics
RAIRO – Theoretical Informatics and Applications
RAIRO – Operations Research
Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena
The journals publish high-quality articles in theoretical and applied mathematics and informatics. Five of the six journals are published in partnership with the Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (SMAI), the exception being RAIRO – Theoretical Informatics and Applications. Jisc members taking advantage of the package will receive one mandatory title - ESAIM: Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis - and choose three further titles from the list above. The special rate is available exclusively through Jisc.
Provided a sufficient number of institutions subscribe to the journals (through Jisc or other routes), all six titles will be published under the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model for 2021 and there will be no fees to publish in the journals ensuring inclusivity regardless of circumstances. In the event of a journal not reaching the subscription threshold set for the content to be opened up in any given year, EDP Sciences is offering a green compliant option to ensure that authors can comply with funder mandates.
Jisc members who opt for the package (and therefore become ‘subscribers’ under S2O) will gain access to some of the best mathematics research at a competitive price. Arguably more significantly, they will also support the transition to open access for the four journals they choose and open science more generally. Although a relative newcomer to the field, S2O is already considered to be a fair and sustainable model which allows institutions to support journals for the common good of the academic community.
“We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Jisc which sits at the heart of higher education and research in the UK. Like us, Jisc is working tirelessly to further open access and it gives us great pleasure to work with dedicated, like-minded professionals,” commented Anne Simoneau, Director of Business Development, EDP Sciences. “As a publisher with a long-standing commitment to open access, we are more than happy to explore and develop initiatives of this kind.”
“We are pleased to announce this new agreement with EDP Sciences which supports our aim of moving all UK research output to open access,” says Kathryn Spiller, Licensing Manager, Jisc. “In particular, this novel approach, combining flexibility with green compliance and the Subscribe to Open model, allows a number of routes to Open Access which we believe will be popular with Jisc members.”
The mathematics community is particularly supportive of open science and keen to embrace initiatives that further the transition to open access. Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena was the first mathematics journal in the world to adopt the S2O model and its transition to open access at the start of 2020 was timely in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the significant role mathematical modelling has played in recent events.
About Jisc
Jisc’s vision is for the UK to be the most digitally advanced education and research nation in the world. At its heart is the super-fast national research and education network, Janet, with built-in cyber security protection. Jisc also provides technology solutions for its members (colleges, universities and research centres) and customers (public sector bodies), helps members save time and money by negotiating sector-wide deals and provides advice and practical assistance on digital technology. Jisc is funded by the UK higher and further education and research funding bodies and member institutions.
For more information, contact faye.holst@jisc.ac.uk, or call 07443 983571.
About EDP Sciences
EDP Sciences is an international academic publisher which was founded by learned societies in 1920. EDP Sciences publishes high-quality scientific journals, conferences proceeding, books and magazines, many of which are open access.
Several journals are published in partnership with learned societies and the journal 4open is expressly built on the four pillars of open science. EDP Sciences also offers EDP Open Books - a comprehensive open access publishing solution.
EDP Sciences was founded by eminent scientists including Marie Curie and Paul Langevin. Since November 2019, it is owned by Science Press which is itself majority-owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). CAS is the world’s largest research organisation and a prestigious learned society. EDP Sciences has therefore always been, and continues to be, the publishing partner of scientific communities.