Statement of support for the sector’s rejection of the Springer Nature proposal

21 February 2023

The Russell Group has joined other higher education mission groups in publishing a statement in support of continuing sector negotiations with the academic publisher, Springer Nature.

Signed by the Russell Group, GuildHE, MillionPlus, N8 PVC-Rs, and University Alliance, the statement says:

Our university members are fully behind the recent decision by the sector, and the negotiating team, to reject the latest offer from Springer Nature. We recognise and welcome the improvements that Springer Nature has made to its offer throughout the negotiations. However, the latest proposal still does not meet the needs of the sector and our members.

UK universities agreed a clear set of requirements at the start of the negotiations and these must be met before we will support an agreement with Springer Nature. The requirements include reducing and constraining costs, ensuring all UK research can be published open access, and providing greater transparency on costs and Springer Nature’s transition to open research.

We support the continuation of negotiations in the hope an appropriate agreement can be reached which will make the transition to open access financially sustainable and equitable.