Universities Denmark puts pressure on publishing giant Elsevier: SDU wants free access to its research and does not accept exorbitant price hikes
The major scientific publishers are making steadily increasing amounts of money from our efforts. But Universities Denmark has had enough, and the universities are now united in demanding sustainable financial conditions from publisher Elsevier in this year’s licence negotiations. If Universities Denmark and Elsevier’s negotiators do not reach an agreement, Danish researchers will lose access to all the research that has been published at Elsevier as of 2021.
Danish universities have a joint licence agreement with publisher Elsevier. The current agreement expires in 2020, and negotiations on a new agreement have just begun. Elsevier publishes approx. 500,000 scientific articles in 2,300 scientific journals and operates a number of scientific databases such as Scopus.
Denmark wants open access for researchers and citizens to Danish research publications, without embargo. Unlike today, where Elsevier demands surcharges to make the results of the tax-financed Danish research available to those who have paid for it. In addition, the licence negotiators are demanding a freeze on subscription prices. Over the last many years, they have risen significantly faster than the general price trend, and this erodes the budgets of universities and their libraries.
‘It’s preposterous that research, which is largely publicly funded, is not publicly available. Danish researchers provide both articles, manpower in connection with peer reviewing and editing for free to the publishers, who then demand steadily increasing payment to give us access. A different arrangement is needed, and the sooner the better’, says Bertil F. Dorch, library director at SDU.
The rectors of Danish universities agree on the requirements for the coming agreement: They refuse to sign a new agreement if Elsevier does not meet the requirements for open access to Danish articles and freezing of the price level. If the parties do not come to an agreement, Danish researchers and students will not have access to articles published by Elsevier in 2021 and onwards.
Links:
SDU’s library materials: https://www.sdu.dk/da/bibliotek/materialer
Contact the library: https://www.sdu.dk/da/bibliotek/kontakt
FACT BOX
- Denmark pays a total of around DKK 300 million each year to scientific publishers for licences for publications and databases. Almost a third of this goes to Elsevier, which corresponds to approx. 150 PhD positions.
- In addition, Danish researchers pay an annual amount in the double-digit million range in the form of fees to ensure open access to their own articles.
- In 2019, Elsevier had an annual turnover of DKK 21.8 billion with a profit margin of 37 per cent. That’s more than Amazon, Apple Computers and BMW.
- Approx. 70 per cent of Elsevier’s worldwide income comes from public funds.