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ONOS Scheme May Expand to Private Colleges, Boosting Research Access

The Indian Ministry of Education is considering expanding its One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme to include private higher education institutions. Currently limited to government-funded bodies, the move would allow over 473 private universities and 31,000 colleges to access international scholarly journals at pre-negotiated rates. The ONOS scheme provides nationwide access to high-quality research papers and also supports Article Processing Charges for publishing in top open-access journals. This expansion aims to reduce financial barriers and enhance research capabilities across India's entire higher education sector.

Key Points: ONOS Scheme Expansion to Private Universities Considered

  • Access to global journals
  • Support for publication fees
  • Reduced financial barriers
  • Includes 31,000+ private colleges
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Centre mulling expansion of ONOS scheme to private higher education institutions

India's Education Ministry may extend the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme to private colleges and universities for pre-negotiated access to global research.

"The ministry is considering a proposal to make ONOS available to private HEIs on a pre-negotiated payment basis - Ministry Sources"

By Vishu Adhana, New Delhi, December 25

The Ministry of Education is considering expanding its flagship One Nation One Subscription scheme to private higher education institutions, sources said.

At present, the ONOS scheme is limited to government-funded institutions. However, the Centre is examining a proposal to allow private universities and colleges to join the scheme on a pre-negotiated payment basis, sources added.

"The ministry is considering a proposal to make ONOS available to private HEIs on a pre-negotiated payment basis," sources said.

India has 473 private universities and over 31,000 private colleges, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data for 2021-22.

The One Nation One Subscription scheme was launched to provide nationwide access to high-quality international scholarly journals and research papers through a single centrally negotiated subscription. The scheme enables students, researchers and faculty members to read and download peer-reviewed research papers and academic literature from leading global publishers.

In addition to providing access to research papers, the ONOS framework now supports Article Processing Charges (APCs), which are paid to publish research in open-access journals. Under the scheme, APCs for selected high-quality open-access journals are centrally funded through the ONOS executing agency.

As per ONOS guidelines, fully open-access journals that rank in the top 5 per cent under any one of three SCOPUS indicators - CiteScore, Source Normalised Impact per Paper (SNIP) or SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)-are eligible for APC support. These journals may belong either to the publishers covered under ONOS subscriptions or to other eligible publishers.

Extending ONOS to private institutions would enable faculty and researchers in the private higher education sector to access global research databases and publish in reputable open-access journals at a pre-negotiated rate, reducing financial barriers to academic research and publication.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As a research scholar in a private university, I've spent so much of my own stipend on accessing papers. This move will be a game-changer for quality of research in the private sector. The APC support is especially crucial.
R
Rohit P
Good initiative, but execution is key. Need to ensure the 'pre-negotiated payment' doesn't become another financial burden on students through increased fees. Transparency in the costing model is a must.
S
Sarah B
This is how you build a robust research ecosystem. Bridging the gap between public and private institutions in terms of resource access will only improve India's overall output and global ranking.
K
Karthik V
Finally! The 31,000+ private colleges have been waiting for this. Many of our tier-2 city institutions have brilliant minds but limited library budgets. ONOS access will level the playing field.
M
Michael C
A thoughtful expansion. The focus on supporting APCs for top open-access journals is particularly smart. It incentivizes high-quality publication from Indian researchers across all types of institutions.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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