Springer Nature has launched the third edition of the India Research Tour at the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) in New Delhi.
The initiative has been organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Government of India, as a nationwide outreach spanning 29 institutions across 15 cities and 7 states to advance integrity, inclusivity, and innovation in research. The 2025 tour has been positioned to focus on awareness and advancement of Open Access and Open Science, strengthening research integrity, encouraging e-book adoption, supporting editorial board member recruitment, and promoting diversity and inclusion in research.
Over the past two years, the initiative has engaged thousands of researchers, academicians, and thought leaders. The publisher has covered 36 institutions across 25 cities and 15 states, and has recognised over 200 women researchers for their contributions to multidisciplinary research.
At the flag-off event, Smt. Savitri Thakur, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development, highlighted that the tour is a platform for connecting with researchers across the country, supporting women in research, strengthening ethics in scholarship, and ensuring equitable access to opportunities and resources. She added that empowering women researchers is central to an inclusive knowledge economy and that the initiative contributes to democratising access to knowledge, promoting ethical research practices, and advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature, emphasised that the India Research Tour 2025 reflects a long-term commitment to India’s research ecosystem, aiming to connect global best practices and local talent. He added that, through partnership with the Ministry of Education and ICSSR, the tour aims to empower researchers, foster collaboration, and support India’s leadership in global science and scholarship.
Prof. Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, ICSSR, noted that the initiative connects social science researchers across the country and enables interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. He added that, by engaging institutions in the eastern and north-eastern regions, the effort aims to strengthen research capacity, uphold high standards of research integrity, and support evidence-based policymaking.
Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Managing Director, Springer Nature India, highlighted that over the past two years the tour has shaped how researchers engage with knowledge, ethics, and accessibility, and added that the 2025 focus includes Open Access, One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS), and inclusivity for a future-ready research ecosystem.
This year’s itinerary has included institutions across engineering, medical sciences, and management in the east and northeast regions, with key stops at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati, Maulana Azad Medical College (New Delhi), IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Bodh Gaya.
The pillars of India Research Tour 2025 have included:
• Promoting Open Access (OA) and advancing awareness of One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS)
• Driving discussions on research integrity and the role of artificial intelligence in publishing
• Highlighting diversity and inclusion through initiatives such as Her Research, Our Future
• Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by democratising knowledge and strengthening accessibility
The tour has concluded its flag-off with plans to engage participating institutions under these pillars through 2025.
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