Frontiers, the Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation Ltd (CEPIEC) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing to promote the sharing of academic resources and expand access to publicly funded research.
Under the agreement, the three organizations will collaborate to promote open access to publicly funded research papers, support data repository services, and strengthen cooperation on research integrity. Frontiers will provide a 10% discount on article processing charges (APCs) for accepted papers funded by the NSFC, with the effective date to be announced separately.
The agreement was signed by Dong Li, Deputy Director of the NSFC Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation; Jianxin Wang, President of CEPIEC; and Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. The signing was witnessed by Zegui Xie, Vice President of CEPIEC; Yamei Huang, Director of the President’s Office of CEPIEC; Mehmet Toral, Chief Corporate Officer and General Counsel of Frontiers; Diane Wang, Managing Director, China of Frontiers; and representatives from the NSFC.
The partnership is expected to support the NSFC in managing research outputs more effectively, enhance the development of its open access repository platform, and broaden the dissemination and impact of funded research.
Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers, stated that the agreement represented an important milestone in collaboration with China’s research community and reflected a shared commitment to open science. He indicated that future cooperation could extend to areas such as flagship journal publishing, AI‑supported research data services, and research integrity.
Dong Li, Deputy Director of the NSFC Center, emphasized that Frontiers had contributed significantly to building a new ecosystem for academic publishing and advancing global research collaboration. He noted that the partnership would promote the open sharing of academic resources and improve the management of NSFC‑supported research outputs.
Jianxin Wang, President of CEPIEC, described the agreement as a practical step aligned with national strategic priorities. He explained that the cooperation would focus on international communication of research outputs, data sharing, and research integrity, in line with national priorities, open science trends, and the objectives of the 15th Five‑Year Plan.
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