Springer Nature and the Egyptian Government agree landmark deal to drive forward open research
First Transformative Agreement for Egypt will see Egyptian research achieve greater global visibility and impact
London | Berlin | Heidelberg 14 December 2021
Springer Nature, The Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) have today agreed a landmark Transformative Agreement (TA), increasing the momentum across global economies of all sizes for open access (OA) publishing and the wider move to open science and research.
This agreement, the first TA for Egypt and the first deal of its type for the region[1] , is expected to see over 3000 OA articles a year published by Egyptian researchers with Springer Nature, increasing the reach and impact[2] of Egyptian research across all disciplines. The deal provides researchers with read access to research in over 2,400 Springer Nature journals and the option to publish in Springer Nature’s hybrid and fully OA journal portfolio. Accelerating the transition to OA in Egypt in this way will ensure the country’s high quality research is reusable, shareable and discoverable to the world's scholars immediately upon publication.
The deal is the latest development in Springer Nature’s longstanding partnership with the EKB. Springer Nature publishes 35 Egyptian journals on behalf of EKB and provides support to researchers via its Nature Research Academies, helping Egyptian researchers advance discovery.
Commented, Frank Vrancken Peeters, Chief Executive of Springer Nature:
“I am delighted that the Egyptian Knowledge Bank has chosen to partner with Springer Nature on their open science journey. Enabling all research to be published OA via agreements such as this is an integral part of advancing scientific discovery, increasing publishing options and reach for Egyptian researchers. This deal is testament not only to our strong partnerships and experience in delivering sustainable national transformative deals, but also to our commitment to finding achievable pathways, for all economies, to open science. We look forward to working with the EKB to deliver and advance this shared goal.”
The deal forms a pivotal part of the Egyptian Government’s wider 2030 strategy to drive forward educational development, sustainable OA and the enrichment of scientific content for Egyptian researchers.
Speaking on the agreement, Professor. Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said:
“The last 18 months have shown us, more than ever, the need to provide and support immediate access to research and knowledge to help make new discoveries and make timely advances in medicine and climate knowledge. Springer Nature has shown real leadership in driving forward solutions to enable this - embracing the move towards greater open science. We share the same commitment.”
Commenting further Professor Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education and Head of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank said:
“ Enabling more Egyptian researchers to take advantage of access to world-class publications and the ability to sustainably publish their high quality research open access for global dissemination, is a significant step in our region’s journey of ensuring that all Egyptians, no matter what their economic circumstances, will have the tools they need to excel in their education and research.”
Professor. Walaa Sheta , CEO The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) added:
“This agreement is a clear indication of our commitment to and investment in Egyptian researchers' academic future. We look forward to our extended collaboration with Springer Nature to help advance and spread the culture of knowledge and learning to better the world.”
Springer Nature signed its first TA in 2014 with the Netherlands and now has 14 national agreements in place including the world’s largest by article volume with Projekt DEAL in Germany. Evidence shows that countries with these agreements in place with Springer Nature see between 70% - 90% of their authors publishing OA. This agreement therefore represents a significant milestone in the global transition to full OA by putting Egypt firmly on the path.
Carolyn Honour, Chief Commercial Officer, Springer Nature further commented:
“While Transformative Agreements are complex and no two partnerships or regions are the same, we believe their role is clear in providing a sustainable path to a full OA environment. Individual partner needs and requirements have to be taken into account and therefore reaching such a deal has only been possible through the commitment and investment from the Egyptian Government.”
More on Springer Nature’s commitment to OA and open research can be found here.
More information on the agreement can be found here.
ENDS
[1] To be agreed at Government level.
[2] On average OA articles are downloaded 4x more than no-OA articles, have 1.6x more citations than non OA articles and attract 2.5x more altmetric attention- Transformative Journals | Open research | Springer Nature / . v6 (springernature.com)
