Tue Nov 26 06:50:25 UTC 2024: ## India Launches “One Nation, One Subscription” Initiative for Academic Journals

**NEW DELHI, November 26, 2024** – The Indian government has launched a groundbreaking initiative, “One Nation, One Subscription” (ONOS), to provide centralized access to research articles and journal publications for all government higher education institutions and R&D labs. The program, approved by the Union Cabinet on Monday, will receive a ₹6,000 crore allocation until 2027.

ONOS aims to consolidate the currently fragmented system of individual institutional subscriptions to academic journals, significantly reducing costs. According to previous government reports, India spent approximately ₹995 crore on journal subscriptions in 2022 alone, with total expenditure between 2019 and 2022 estimated at ₹2,985 crore. This includes both direct institutional subscriptions and those managed through library consortia. A 2020 study highlighted even higher costs, estimating ₹1,500 crore spent in 2018 on electronic and print journals, plus additional substantial sums for access to citation databases like Scopus and Web of Science.

The initiative will negotiate a single, centrally managed subscription for all participating institutions, granting access to a wide range of journals and databases. Negotiations with 41 publishers, including major players like Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley, have already been completed. ONOS is also expected to include concessions on publication fees for open-access journals.

The project was recommended by the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020 and has undergone extensive stakeholder consultations. A core committee, chaired by the Principal Scientific Advisor and including representatives from the Ministries of Education and Science and Technology, will oversee its implementation. Two additional committees—a planning and execution committee and a cost negotiation committee—will handle the strategic implementation and pricing details respectively.

The ONOS initiative represents a significant step towards greater affordability and accessibility of crucial research resources for Indian researchers and students, promoting knowledge sharing and scientific advancement across the nation.

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