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De Gruyter and Jisc Collections sign journal and open access agreement


Brexit: ‘near-fatal’ warning for scientific endeavour


Senior members of the Pistoia Alliance have warned that a hard Brexit could be near-fatal for scientific endeavour in Europe. A survey of more than 1,000 staff at the UK’s biggest biomedical research lab, the Francis Crick Institute, showed that some 97 per cent were concerned about the future of science in the country. Just four per cent of respondents said they believed the Conservative government was committed to securing a good deal for UK science. It was revealed 29 Nobel Prize-winning


scientists from across Europe wrote to the UK Prime Minister Theresa May and EU President Jean-Claude Juncker, urging the ‘closest possible cooperation between the UK and the EU’ if and when Brexit happens. Now the Pistoia Alliance, a global,


not-for-profit alliance of life science companies, vendors, publishers, and academic groups, has warned of ‘near- fatal’ implications for scientific endeavour. It states that failure to reach a deal will ‘stifle innovation and leave Britain severely disadvantaged’. A statement from Sir Alasdair


Breckenridge, a member of the Pistoia advisory board and former chairman of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and Steve Arlington,


www.researchinformation.info | @researchinfo


President, The Pistoia Alliance (pictured), reads: ‘The Francis Crick Institute’s research, and letter this week from the Nobel Laureates, has exposed a critical issue facing not just science in Britain, but science around the globe. ‘A hard Brexit would be near-fatal for


scientific endeavour in Europe, and the consequences would be felt even further afield. Successful research relies heavily on successful collaboration – some of the biggest breakthroughs in science have come from joint international efforts. ‘It is vital that all of those involved in the


pursuit of new knowledge and discovery – from the life science and pharmaceutical industry, to startups, to academic institutions, to global regulators – can continue to work together and advance research.


‘Whether it’s curing cancer, treating


rare diseases, or stopping the spread of pandemics, the pooling of our knowledge is vital. We join the Francis Crick Institute and Nobel winners in urging the government to ensure scientific collaboration is a key facet of any Brexit agreement. Failure to reach a deal will stifle innovation and leave Britain severely disadvantaged, and ultimately, it will be patients across the UK who will pay the price.’


Jisc Collections and De Gruyter have signed an agreement they say is tailored to the needs of United Kingdom educational and research institutions. The agreement provides access to De Gruyter journals and allows participating institutions to transition all of their publishing with De Gruyter to open access in an affordable way, while also providing all Jisc members with an institutional membership for discounts on all APCs for pure gold open access. Jisc Collections works on behalf of the United Kingdom higher education sector to negotiate and license high- quality digital content that meets the requirements of institutions to support academic research, teaching and learning. The agreement between De


Gruyter and Jisc Collections reflects the intent of UK stakeholders to transition to open access as swiftly and sustainably as possible, while helping authors and their institutions to meet the requirements of funders. Liam Earney, director at Jisc Collections, said: ‘At a time when many institutions are concerned by the increasing cost of APCs, this agreement with De Gruyter will help to ensure that APCs remain affordable. We have worked hard to improve on the previous agreement, helping institutions to transition their output to open access generally, whilst encouraging take up of pure Gold as well.’ Anne O’Riordan, senior sales manager for EMEA at De Gruyter, added: ‘De Gruyter’s partnership approach with customers, our commitment to open access and the flexibility of our offering has made for positive discussions with Jisc Collections, and we are happy to have delivered an open access solution for both pure OA and hybrid journals to UK academic institutions.’


December 2018/january 2019 Research Information 29


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