The Government of India has launched the APC (Article Processing Charge) Guidelines – Version 1 under the One Nation One Subscription #ONOS initiative.
A Milestone Moment for the Indian Academic Community!
The Government of India has launched the Article Processing Charge (APC) Guidelines – Version 1 under the One Nation One Subscription initiative — a visionary leap toward making open-access publishing more equitable and accessible for every Indian scholar.
🔹 APC’s for top-tier Open Access journals will now be centrally funded through ONOS.
🔹 Eligible journals are those ranked within the top 1% globally, as per CiteScore, SNIP, or SJR ( Elsevier | Scopus indicators).
🔹 Authors affiliated with Indian institutions, universities, IITs, research labs, etc. can avail this benefit.
🔹 A central #APC fund (~₹150 crore) will manage and reimburse publication charges for approved journals.
This marks a transformative milestone — enabling Indian researchers to publish in the world’s best journals without financial barriers, thereby democratizing knowledge and strengthening India’s global research footprint. 🌍✨
Useful Links:
🔗 ONOS Official Website: https://www.onos.gov.in/
🔗 APC Guidelines – Version 1 (PDF): https://www.onos.gov.in/public/docs/APC_Manual_v1.pdf
🔗 Selected Journal Titles: https://www.onos.gov.in/APCTitles
🔗 Read & Publish Agreement – ACM Digital Library: https://www.acm.org/media-center/2025/april/onos-initiative-acm-open-agreement
ONOS Scheme Overview:
The scheme’s objective is to provide all eligible students, faculty, researchers, and scientists with access to top-tier international research articles and journals. It covers more than 6,300 government-managed higher education institutions and central government-managed research and development institutions across the country.
The scheme provides:
• Access to more than 13,000 scholarly journals from 30 major international publishers.
• Benefits about 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers across disciplines such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), Medicine, Social Sciences, Finance & Accounts, etc.
• Inclusive access to research for institutions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, ensuring equitable access to knowledge.
Key Objectives and Goals:
- Access to Scholarly Knowledge: The scheme provides access to high-quality scholarly journals and publications across various fields. This aims to democratise access to knowledge to enhance the research capabilities of students, faculty, and researchers.
- Inclusion of Diverse Institutions: The scheme ensures that institutions, regardless of their geographic location—in urban centres or remote areas—have access to world-class research resources. This is crucial for advancing core and interdisciplinary research in the country.
- Global Research Participation: It aligns with the goals of Viksitbharat@2047, helping India to emerge as a global leader in research and development by enabling its academic and research institutions to engage with international scholarly communities.
INPUTS FROM PIB INDIA