Over 100 German universities sign national open access deal with MDPI to support open science

Franziska Fischer, Commercial Director at ZB MED, and Peter Roth, Head of Publishing at MDPI

Over 100 German universities and research institutions have entered into a new national open-access agreement with MDPI, a publisher specializing in open-access journals. 

The agreement, facilitated by ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences, will take effect on January 1, 2025, and run until the end of 2026.

The agreement aims to streamline the process of gold open-access publishing for researchers in Germany by offering discounts on article processing charges (APCs) and flexible payment models, including centralized invoicing and individual payment options. A flat fee structure will allow institutions to better manage expenses and optimize library budgets.

MDPI, publishing open-access research since 1996, operates over 440 journals covering a wide range of disciplines. The publisher focuses on making research freely accessible and reducing barriers to publishing for the academic community.

Peter Roth, Head of Publishing at MDPI, said:

 “MDPI can look back on over a decade of successful partnerships with German research institutions. The new agreement marks another milestone in our long-standing cooperation with the German scientific community. It reflects our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to promote open research and support researchers worldwide.”

The partnership aims to increase the visibility of scientific research while providing cost-effective solutions for institutions and their authors.

Petra Labriga, Head of Strategic License Management at ZB MED, highlighted the benefits of the agreement, stating:

 “As one of the world's Gold OA publishers, MDPI plays a central role in the German publishing landscape. We are particularly pleased to achieve considerable potential cost savings for scientific institutions and their authors at a national level through our negotiations.”

Institutions can join the consortium until early 2025. The agreement supports Germany’s commitment to open science and provides researchers with access to MDPI’s publishing services.

Adrian Stefan Zamfir, Institutional Partnership Manager for the DACH region, said:

 “We would like to thank the ZB MED consortium team for their excellent collaboration. This agreement will provide even more researchers in Germany access to MDPI’s reliable and efficient publication platform.”