Today, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) and Oxford University Press are pleased to announce a new three year deal covering subscriptions to OUP’s journals and 100% open access to Dutch contributions in these journals in 2019 and 2020.

The new agreement is an important step forward, according to VSNU-negotiator Anton Pijpers: “We believe that publicly funded knowledge should be available to the public, as well as to all researchers. This deal shows that important publishers like OUP understand this need and are willing to act on it, which is good news for the universities.”

Last year, the negotiations between VSNU and OUP were suspended due to differences in position. Both parties are pleased to announce today’s deal, including the agreement to allow 100% of the publications by Dutch corresponding authors in OUP’s hybrid journals to become available open access (based on the number of publications in 2016: 760).

Director of Sales for the Academic Division at Oxford University Press, Alastair Lewis, said: “We are pleased to have concluded this negotiation with the VSNU. I am confident that we have reached a conclusion that both supports the interests of the VSNU and ensures OUP is able to continue to support sustainable publishing for our authors, journal partners, and customers across the world.”

The agreement for 2018-2020 was negotiated by the VSNU on behalf of all Dutch research universities and will take effect immediately. It also includes the subscription access which OUP continued to offer to Dutch universities during 2017.