Frontiers is pleased to announce the continuation of its partnership with the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) into a second year. Building on the successful collaboration established in 2024, this agreement reinforces our shared commitment to advancing open science by providing researchers across Germany with seamless, cost-effective access to gold open access publishing. 

The partnership consolidates Frontiers’ first flat fee publishing model in Europe, making it faster, easier, and more affordable for researchers to publish and share their work on a global scale. Under this agreement, researchers affiliated with public and private institutions, as well as state, regional, and specialist libraries in Germany, can publish an unlimited number of peer-reviewed articles in all Frontiers journals without incurring article processing charges (APCs). 

Institutions already part of Frontiers’ institutional partnership program can continue to benefit from this agreement, while new institutions have the opportunity to join the consortium until early 2025. Petra Labriga, Head of Strategic License Management at ZB MED, highlighted the agreement’s continued significance: 

“Our partnership with Frontiers reinforces our commitment to fostering open access publishing in Germany. By removing financial and administrative barriers, we’re ensuring researchers can focus on what they do best: advancing knowledge and contributing to global scientific progress.” 

The renewed partnership offers researchers several key advantages: 

• Publishing an unlimited number of articles with no APCs or administrative hurdles. 

• A simplified submission process supported by advanced technology and AI tools. 

• Immediately available and freely accessible research to a global audience. 

• Expansion of research portfolios and enhancement of career opportunities with the increased visibility of open access. 

Franck Vazquez, Frontiers’ Director of Partnerships, commented: 

“Entering the second year of our agreement with ZB MED is a testament to the success of our collaboration and the significant demand for open access publishing solutions in Germany. Together, we are empowering researchers to disseminate their work widely, increasing its impact while fostering a culture of open science.” 

The agreement remains open for new participants, enabling more institutions to benefit from this innovative and cost-effective model for advancing open science.  

About Frontiers 

Frontiers is an open access publisher connecting researchers worldwide. Our role is to provide the world’s scientists with a rigorous and efficient publishing experience. Powered by custom-built technology, artificial intelligence, and a collaborative peer review, our community journals give experts in more than 1,800 academic fields an open access platform to publish high quality, high impact research. For more information on Frontiers’ OA agreements please fill in this form. 

About ZB MED  

The German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences) is Germany’s national infrastructure and research hub for data and information in the life sciences. Our digital services support research projects that benefit people and the environment: from medicine and biodiversity to environmental protection.