The MIT Press has received a two-year, $275,000 Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) from the National Science Foundation to expand the shift+OPEN initiative and shift at least two more journals to diamond open access. The Press will also use the grant to assess and compare the viability of open access models for advancing and sustaining the outputs of scientific and scholarly STEM and HSS research.
shift+OPEN launched in February 2023 to catalyze necessary change in journals publishing and provide access to vital scholarship. It promulgates an open access agenda that ensures that both authors and readers are financially unencumbered — authors can publish based on the merit and intellectual contribution of their articles and readers, ranging from peer researchers to the public, benefit from barrier-free access to these works.
The initial funding from Arcadia covered the expenses of transitioning a journal to open access for a three-year term and expert assistance in developing a sustainable funding model to ensure the journal remains open access. A new journal partner will be announced in late October 2023.
This new funding from the National Science Foundation research award will expand the shift+OPEN initiative flipping two additional high-impact subscription-based journals to diamond OA and underwriting publishing costs for three years each.
Additionally, while there is growing consensus that diamond open access is essential for the future of scholarly publishing, there is no viable, assured funding model. This NSF award makes it possible for the Press to test the hypothesis that a robust diamond publishing program will accelerate STEM and HSS research and incentivize the creation and advancement of knowledge.
A new round of applications will be opened in January 2024. For more information on shift+OPEN, please see mitpress.mit.edu/shiftOPEN.
Click here to read the original press release.
