Lausanne, 28 May 2025 – Frontiers announces a new open access publishing agreement with the University of Padua, supported by its Open Science Committee, ensuring that affiliated researchers can publish their work seamlessly in any of Frontiers’ journals without incurring individual article processing charges (APCs). This one-year agreement, with the possibility of renewal, reinforces the university’s commitment to fostering open science and global knowledge sharing.

Under this flat fee agreement, the University of Padua secures:

• Unlimited open access publishing opportunities for affiliated researchers.

• Predictable, transparent costs with a fixed annual fee, streamlining budget planning.

• Reduced administrative workload for library and research staff.

• Immediate global accessibility to published research under a CC-BY license, ensuring author-retained copyrights.

Prof. Monica Salvadori, Vice Rector of Historical and Cultural Heritage and coordinator of the Open Science Committee of the University of Padua, emphasized the significance of this agreement:

"This agreement with Frontiers marks a step forward in our commitment to finding more sustainable and centralized models of open access, beyond the APC-based model. It is part of a broader set of open science (OS) initiatives supported by the OS Commission of the University of Padua, and carefully reviewed by both the OS Committee and the University Library Centre, which has reached this flat fee agreement with Frontiers."

Martina Sollai, Frontiers' Institutional Partnerships Specialist, added:

“It is a pleasure to see our collaboration with the University of Padua take this important step forward. This flat fee agreement reflects a strong commitment to open science, removing barriers for researchers and building a fairer research environment. It’s been a privilege to work with the team at the University Library Centre (Centro di Ateneo per le Biblioteche – CAB) in support of this shared goal.”

To be eligible under the partnership, researchers need to ensure that the corresponding author is affiliated with the University of Padua and that the institutional email address is used when submitting the manuscript. 

This partnership highlights the shared commitment to advancing open science and empowering researchers to focus on discovering and disseminating knowledge. By eliminating financial and administrative barriers, this agreement enhances the global visibility and impact of the University of Padua's research and strengthens the foundation for a more transparent and equitable scholarly publishing landscape.

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 or contact us at institutions@frontiersin.org. 

About the University of Padua 

Founded in 1222, the University of Padua is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities. A multidisciplinary institution with a strong tradition of academic excellence, it remains a leading hub for scientific research, innovation, and cultural advancement.