Funding for Open Access publications

The German Research Foundation will continue to support the University of Stuttgart's Open Access Publication Fund in 2022. A total of EUR 210,000 euros is available to scientists. The DFG's share is EUR 84,000, while the university provides EUR 126,000. The money will be used to continue the previous funding in largely the same form. One exception is the so-called "mirror journals", which are no longer eligible for funding. "Mirror Journals" are defined by the "Directory of Open Access Journals" as open  access versions of existing subscription journals.

"Researchers should always submit an online application form before submitting their article, if possible, even if they are not sure whether their publication is eligible for funding," says Stefan Drößler, Open Access Advisor at the University of Stuttgart. "The University Library's Open Access team responds to requests quickly and also provides advice over the phone," says Drößler.

In relation to the scientific publishers Springer and Wiley, the University participates in the DEAL contracts negotiated throughout Germany. It is not necessary to apply to the OA Fund for publication in mainstream OA journals. You will usually be made aware of the DEAL contracts when submitting your application.

In addition to DEAL, there are also numerous other arrangements with publishers, which are continuously updated on the "Memberships and Agreements" information page. Also, in light of ever-changing publishing agreements, the OA advisor recommends finding out about eligibility, discounts, and payment arrangements before submitting the publication. "It happens regularly that authors choose a different journal if costs above a certain amount cannot be reimbursed, or the publication is an ineligible hybrid journal," says Stefan Drößler. In addition to journals that are open access only ("gold open access"), there are still many "hybrid journals" that contain both open access and closed access articles.