Royal Society to Pioneer “Subscribe to Open” Model for Eight Journals from 2026
London, UK – August 8, 2025 – In a significant move towards a more sustainable and equitable model for academic publishing, the Royal Society, the UK’s national science academy, has announced its intention to transition eight of its prestigious journals to a “Subscribe to Open” (S2O) model. This pioneering initiative is scheduled to commence in 2026, marking a bold step in reshaping the landscape of scholarly communication.
The announcement, published on the Current Awareness Portal by the National Diet Library of Japan on August 8, 2025, details a strategic shift away from traditional subscription or fully open access publishing models for these specific journals. The S2O model aims to bridge the gap between these approaches by leveraging existing institutional subscriptions to fund open access.
Under the S2O framework, libraries and institutions that subscribe to these Royal Society journals will, through their subscription payments, collectively contribute to making the content published within them openly accessible to all researchers worldwide. This innovative approach is designed to ensure that authors do not bear the burden of Article Processing Charges (APCs), a common feature of many current open access models that can pose a barrier to participation for researchers in under-resourced institutions.
The Royal Society has been a long-standing advocate for open science and has explored various pathways to enhance the accessibility and impact of its published research. The decision to adopt the S2O model for eight of its journals reflects a commitment to finding solutions that benefit the entire research community. This move is anticipated to foster greater inclusivity and allow a wider dissemination of vital scientific discoveries.
While specific details regarding the eight journals to be included in this S2O transition are yet to be fully disclosed, the Royal Society’s engagement with this innovative publishing model signifies a thoughtful consideration of the evolving needs of scholarly publishing. This initiative aligns with a growing global conversation around sustainable and ethical open access, seeking to create an environment where knowledge is freely shared and widely accessible.
The implementation of the Subscribe to Open model from 2026 is expected to be closely watched by other academic publishers and institutions as it offers a promising alternative for funding open access publishing in a way that is financially sustainable and equitable for all stakeholders. The Royal Society’s proactive approach is set to contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse and development of open science practices for the benefit of global research.
英国王立協会、2026年から同協会が発行する学術誌8誌において“Subscribe to Open”モデルを導入
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