Dutch research institutions and Elsevier announce new agreements

Dutch universities, research institutes and Elsevier, a global leader in scientific information and analytics, have signed new agreements to support Dutch research, starting 1 January 2025 and running for two years with an optional extension for a third year.

Commitment to open access

The new read and publish agreement reaffirms the commitment of the research community in the Netherlands to open access. The agreement continues to provide Dutch researchers with reading rights to the peer-reviewed content from Elsevier’s portfolio of journals via ScienceDirect. The new agreement additionally provides 100% open access publishing in eligible journals for all participating institutions*. It is also a step forward in transparency in the areas of privacy, AI, text and data mining and user rights. A separate agreement provides access to Scopus, the world’s largest multidisciplinary, trusted abstract and citations database.

Anton Pijpers, representing the Universities of the Netherlands, said: “We are pleased with the renewal of the agreement with Elsevier for Dutch institutions. The collaboration with Elsevier in the past years has led to an efficient process for researchers to publish and we are working towards a better understanding on how to deal with privacy, AI, text and data mining and user rights. The major cutbacks in higher education in the Netherlands are putting pressure on these types of agreements and this deal with Elsevier allows us to proceed with sharing the results of Dutch research as open as possible, while working towards new models in the future.”

Supporting research ambitions

Laura Hassink, Elsevier Managing Director for Elsevier’s Scientific, Technical and Medical Journals, said: “The aim of the new agreement is to further support the Netherlands’ research ambitions and maintain the trusted relationship we have built with the research community over many years. Open access is an integral part of how Elsevier supports researchers in advancing knowledge and our agreement reflects the objectives of Dutch research, the current economic landscape and represents fair value for both parties. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership in the Netherlands, helping to advance science and improve health outcomes.”

As the Netherlands continues to advance its open access ambitions, these new agreements promise to deliver substantial benefits to the research community while fostering collaboration and innovation in the years to come.

The contract will be made publicly available and registered on the ESAC Registry.

* Dutch research performing organisations

66 Dutch research performing organisations are covered by these agreements:

14 universities (UNL, Universities of the Netherlands)

7 university medical centres (NFU, Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres)

23 universities of applied science

10 National Research Institutes (NWO-I, Foundation for Dutch Scientific Research Institutes)

12 Academy Institutes (KNAW, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)

The University Libraries and National Library (UKB) acted on behalf of these research performing organizations to reach these new agreements. Our shared main ambition is to invest in an inclusive, sustainable and just scholarly communication system while striving for a more open and publicly steered approach to scientific outputs and processes (see Open Science 2030 in the Netherlands). During the coming years, we are committed to developing a collective publication strategy based on the shared principles while furthering transparency on privacy, AI, text and data mining and user rights.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global leader in advanced information and decision support. For over a century, we have been helping advance science and healthcare to advance human progress. We support academic and corporate research communities, doctors, nurses, future healthcare professionals and educators across 170 countries in their vital work. We do this by delivering mission-critical insights and innovative solutions that combine trusted, evidence-based scientific and medical content with cutting-edge AI technologies to help impact makers achieve better outcomes. We champion inclusion and sustainability by embedding these values into our products and culture, working with the communities that we serve. The Elsevier Foundation supports research and health partnerships around the world.

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.elsevier.com and follow us on social media @ElsevierConnect.