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Jisc and Taylor & Francis sign new UK open research agreement

Comprehensive deal offers researchers expanded OA publishing options and licensing for AI use

Researchers at participating UK institutions will be supported to publish open access (OA) articles in over 2,400 journals through a renewed and expanded agreement between Jisc and Taylor & Francis. As well as increased reading and publishing opportunities, new features of the three-year deal include AI use, optional eBook and open research services, and the conversion of journals to full OA.

The OA publishing element of this comprehensive agreement covers all research articles published in hybrid and full-OA Taylor & Francis and Routledge journals. In addition, researchers can choose to publish in F1000’s pioneering open research platforms, including F1000Research and Routledge Open Research.

The renewal of this agreement supports the continued growth of OA in the UK and maintains a key route to open publishing for researchers in disciplines with otherwise limited OA funding. Taylor & Francis is a leader in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and its previous agreements with Jisc have already driven a significant increase in HSS OA articles.

Taylor & Francis has also announced that the partnership will enable the expansion of its diamond OA collective funding model, Collective Pathway to Open Publishing. With sufficient support, several HSS journals with a high proportion of UK authors will convert to open access for at least their 2026 volumes, including King's Law Journal published on behalf of King's College London. If implemented, researchers around the globe will be able to publish OA in these titles, without paying an article publishing charge, thanks to the support of the new Jisc agreement.

Recognising that Artificial Intelligence has an increasingly important role in today’s teaching and research, the expanded agreement permits use of licensed Taylor & Francis proprietary content in connection with AI technologies, with appropriate safeguards, for non-commercial research and educational purposes. This might include, for example, a researcher using AI tools to summarise journal articles for teaching preparation or to generate discussion questions.

Carolyn Kirby, Vice President & Commercial Lead at Taylor & Francis, said: “This negotiation was a very constructive process and we appreciated the opportunity to work with our partners at Jisc and in the HE community to develop an agreement that meets their evolving needs. Despite facing increasing pressures and uncertainty, there is no reduction in the ambition of UK institutions for open research growth and maximising the impact of critical research.”

Anna Vernon, Head of Research Licensing, Jisc, said: “This agreement marks a significant step in strengthening UK institutions’ commitment to open research. By combining expanded publishing opportunities with our non-article-based business models pilot we aim to address two key challenges facing institutions: financial sustainability and fostering more inclusive, reproducible research.”

Alex Robinson, Managing Director, Academic Division & Chief Commercial Officer at Taylor & Francis, said: “This expanded and ambitious agreement with Jisc reflects our commitment to long-term partnerships that support and enhance sustainable open access opportunities around the world across all subject areas. In an era of unprecedented challenges, we can only achieve this by working even more closely with the universities we serve. Through this agreement we are ensuring that the latest UK research is freely available to the readers who need to access it across the globe.”

Jisc members are now invited to review and opt into the agreement. Additional options for participating institutions will include significantly discounted premium eBook content and bespoke open research consultation services, including detailed mapping of researchers’ open research practices (data sharing, pre-printing, code sharing etc.) and opportunities for development.

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