On behalf of the eight Danish universities,the Royal Danish Library has negotiated an agreement with the publisher Elsevier which provides researchers with immediate, free reading access to Elsevier’s research publications.

2021.02.08 | Henriette Stevnhøj

Danish researchers will now have unlimited digital access to all peer-reviewed research articles published by researchers at the institutions covered by the agreement with the Danish research institutions. 

The agreement is the first in Denmark to ensure full reading access to Elsevier’s journals and free and direct access to the articles published by researchers at the institutions covered by the agreement.

This is the result of the Royal Danish Library's negotiations with the publishing giant Elsevier. The agreement means that the Danish universities’ desire for easy access to research publications will be fulfilled.

Scientific and scholarly journals are a cornerstone of research. For this reason, it is important that the collaboration with the publishing houses takes place on conditions that the universities can be satisfied with. In addition to instant Open Access to the Danish universities' publications in Elsevier journals, the agreement also allows for publication at no additional cost.

One example of the usefulness of Open Acess is the sharing of research knowledge about COVID-19 across sectors and national borders. When data and results are easily accessible, it is possible to test treatments, develop effective vaccines and contribute to the development of political decisions and guidelines more quickly. This is how Lars Bo Nielsen, the dean at Health, described the advantages in a 2020 editorial  in Science Report on why the universities should work to promote open access to research publications.

The agreement will cover the period 2021-2024, and Universities Denmark estimates that the new agreement will result in net savings on Danish expenses connected to Elsevier’s publications.

Read more about the agreement on the Royal Danish Library's website.

This article is based on a press release from Universities Denmark