Open Access

Open science is one of the values of the Network Institute and we stand by its principles by improving access to information for all users. Open science is the movement to make scientific research (including publications, data, physical samples and software) and its dissemination accessible to all levels of society.

As such, the Network Institute endorses Open Access. To facilitate and stimulate the use of Open Access the institute has its very own open access endorsement program!

Why open access?

  • Through open access, scientific knowledge becomes better accessible to the general public
  • Through open access, scientific knowledge becomes better accessible to students and institutions in developing countries
  • Although open access usually means paying publication fees, in time pay-to-publish models might save universities money compared to pay-to-read models – money saved means more money for research

How does the Network Institute endorse open access?

We set up a fund which we will use to promote open access. Members of the Network Institute can apply for:

  • A contribution in OA publishing fees up to €500, if:
    • Your paper is accepted for publication at an OA journal
    • Your funding organization does not cover OA publishing fees
  • A €198 contribution for lifetime memberships of PeerJ or PeerJ Computer Science for you if:
    • Your paper is accepted for publication in PeerJ
    • Your funding organization does not cover OA publishing fees

You can apply for either scheme by sending an e-mail to i.malavolta@vu.nl.

VU-central endorsement programs are also in place:

  • VU authors may publish for free in many Hybrid OA journals by Springer (see here)
  • VU authors receive a €500 discount on OA publishing fees with all BRILL journals
  • The VU UB promotes OA via the Green Route, where researchers (legally) publish author versions of their published papers online – we will meet with UB representatives soon to discuss how the NI community can best contribute to this effort

Further information: