Jisc and the Microbiology Society have sealed a two-year pilot transitional open access (OA) agreement. 

The ‘Publish and Read’ deal will allow researchers at participating institutions to publish an unlimited number of open access articles, as well as access to the society’s full portfolio in return for a cost-neutral fixed fee.

The Microbiology Society is the first small learned society publisher to strike a transitional deal through the Jisc consortium. Jisc Collections undertakes negotiations and licensing for 180 UK universities and is close to agreeing similar deals with Portland Press, the International Water Association and the European Respiratory Society.

Kathryn Spiller, licensing manager at Jisc, who has worked with the society to negotiate the agreement, says:

“We are thrilled to have worked with universities, funders and the Microbiology Society to create a transitional model that allows 100% of UK output to be published open access on a cost-neutral basis”

Under the terms of the agreement which will be effective from 2020, scientists will be able to publish in the Microbiology Society’s six journals, two of which are born OA journals, the other four subscription and/or hybrid journals.

Dr Peter Cotgreave, chief executive of the Microbiology Society said of the agreement with Jisc:

“We are delighted to have forged this agreement with our first national consortium for the benefit of microbiology researchers in the UK. As a small publishing Society, we are keen to introduce models to promote new, innovative and country-wide OA publishing across our portfolio of journals”.

Robert Kiley, head of open research at Wellcome commented

“Following the work we commissioned with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) to help learned society publishers transition to full and immediate open access, I am pleased to see these cost-neutral transformative agreements come to fruition and I hope others will follow the lead of the Microbiology Society.”