Negotiations with Springer Nature: No-deal Situation
National negotiations led by swissuniversities with the publisher Springer Nature have not resulted in a new Read & Publish (R&P) agreement for 2026.
As a reminder, the R&P model combines access to journal content (Read) with the possibility to publish articles Open Access in the same journals (Publish), in line with the negotiation objectives set out in the revised National Open Access Strategy adopted in 2024.
What does this mean for the UNIGE and HUG communities?
Reading Access (READ)
- Access to articles published after 1 January 2026 may be suspended in the near future, unless those articles are available in Open Access.
- Access to content published up to the end of 2025, however, remains guaranteed.
Open Access Publishing (PUBLISH)
- Publishing with Springer Nature remains possible; however, Article Processing Charges (APCs) for hybrid or Gold Open Access journals will not be covered by the Library or by the Open Access Publication Fund.
- The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will also not fund Open Access publications with this publisher.
Recommendations
UNIGE follows the recommendations issued by swissuniversities.
Swiss higher education institutions are strongly encouraged to adopt a coordinated national stance to strengthen Switzerland’s negotiating position with the publisher. Researchers are likewise encouraged to limit their editorial activities with Springer Nature.
Support Measures
The Library is here to assist you during this transition:
- Publisher agreements: consult the list of partnerships offering favorable conditions for Open Access publishing.
- Alternative access solutions: explore legal options to obtain articles not covered by our subscriptions.
- Free interlibrary loan: request documents unavailable at UNIGE at no cost.
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