No Read & Publish Agreement with Springer Nature from 2026
Negotiations with the publisher Springer Nature have so far not led to an agreement. As of 2026, a contractless situation is expected, which will affect reading access and Open Access publishing in Springer Nature, including Nature journals. Both parties remain interested in reaching an agreement, and negotiations will therefore continue in the new year.
The current Read & Publish agreement with Springer Nature runs until the end of December. It allows researchers at the University of Zurich and affiliated university hospitals to publish in the publisher’s hybrid journals without having to pay article processing charges. This applies until the contractually agreed article quota is reached. At the same time, the agreement guarantees reading access to Springer Nature’s journal portfolio.
Negotiations not Concluded
Negotiations for a new contract with Springer Nature have been ongoing since early 2025 but have not yet been concluded. Springer Nature has so far not presented an offer that meets the requirements of the negotiation mandate. The goal of a further step in the transformation towards Open Access could not be achieved to the extent desired by swissuniversities.
Both parties remain interested in concluding an agreement, negotiations will therefore continue in the new year. Since the current agreement with Springer Nature expires at the end of 2025, preparations have been made for a contractless situation starting in 2026.
Consequences of a Contractless Situation with Springer Nature
Reading access
Reading access is not expected to be disabled immediately. If access is disabled, UZH members will still have access to:
- Articles published up to the end of 2025, unless they were published Open Access;
- Content for which UZH holds perpetual access rights;
- E-books and databases from the publisher. These are not part of the negotiations and will remain accessible.
Publishing Open Access articles
UZH authors can continue to publish with Springer Nature. However, Open Access publication fees will not be covered until a new agreement is reached. Through the green Open Access route (self-archiving), articles can still be made freely accessible at no cost. We recommend not paying Open Access fees at this time.
Alternative Access and Ordering Options
We have compiled alternatives to support UZH members obtain the articles they need. Browser extensions and search engines that assist in finding Open Access versions can be found on our website: No Access? Your Options.
During the period without a contract, researchers, students, teaching staff and employees of UZH and the university hospitals can use the request service for articles from Nature Springer journals free of charge.
Alternative Open Access Publishing
We recommend that authors initially publish their articles in hybrid journals «closed access» and then upload the accepted manuscript version to ZORA. After the embargo period, the article will become freely accessible. Self-archiving (Green OA) enables a free secondary publication of the accepted manuscript version. Here you can find details on Springer Nature’s conditions.
Negotiation Delegation
swissuniversities aims to conclude an agreement with Springer Nature if the offer meets the negotiation mandate. Further information on the current negotiations and FAQ can be found on the swissuniversities website.
As soon as we have news on the current status of negotiations, we will inform you on our page Coverage of Publication Charges under «Springer Nature» and «Nature Research Journals» and via news from the University Library.
If you have questions about reading access, please contact the E-Media team: emedia@ub.uzh.ch.
For questions about publishing Open Access articles, please contact our Open Science Services team: oa@ub.uzh.ch.
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