NIH to cap publishing fees for publicly funded research

The National Institutes of Health announced it will put a limit on publisher fees for publicly funded research by Fiscal Year 2026.

According to the NIH, some publishers of top medical journals charge as much as $13,000 per article for immediate open access. The publishers of these journals also collect what the NIH calls “substantial” subscription fees from government agencies. The NIH contends that these fees place an additional burden on taxpayers as their taxes have already funded the underlying research.

The exact limit on allowable publication charges was not provided. The NIH says it hopes the policy will guarantee publication fees remain reasonable across the board. With this policy, NIH aims to “curb excessive article processing charges and ensure the broad dissemination of research findings without unnecessary financial barriers.”

“This policy marks a critical step in protecting the integrity of the scientific publishing system while ensuring that public investments in research deliver maximum public benefit,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., said in a statement.

Other agency initiatives include making NIH-funded published research available free of charge and without embargo; timely sharing of scientific data regardless of publication status; providing insight into NIH-funded research activities and results; and encouraging the use of NIH-developed technologies through licensing strategies that improve access.

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