Fifth Open Access Report from Springer Nature shows transformative agreements remain a key driver of global OA transition

NEW DELHI, July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Open access (OA) publishing through Springer Nature transformative agreements (TA) increased 12% in 2025, with the publisher also reporting 19 new and 17 renewed TAs across the year. With 101 TAs now in place, Springer Nature is now supporting researchers at more than 4,400 institutions worldwide in publishing OA.

While TAs were first introduced a decade ago, scale and uptake have increased significantly in recent years. More than half (over 165,000) of all Springer Nature TA-funded articles have been published during the past three years ^[1].

Taken together, this data points to sustained demand for TAs and shows the important role they continue to play in accelerating the OA transition by expanding reach and impact for researchers and institutions worldwide.

In India, Springer Nature continues to expand open access publishing through its TAs with leading research institutions. A notable example is the agreement with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), signed in 2020 as one of Asia's pioneering transformative agreements. Under the agreement, corresponding authors affiliated with MAHE campuses including Manipal, Bengaluru, Mangalore and Jamshedpur can publish eligible research open access in more than 2,000 hybrid journals and over 500 fully open access journals across the Springer Nature portfolio, with article processing charges (APCs) covered by the institution. The agreement also provides institutional access to Springer Nature Link, enabling researchers to both publish and access high-quality research while supporting MAHE's commitment to advancing open science and increasing the global visibility and impact of research from India.

Carolyn Honour, Chief Commercial Officer at Springer Nature, said: "Our approach is built on more than two decades of experience working with institutions, funders and researchers to advance OA. Based on this, we recognise TAs as the most effective way to enable global participation, maintain research quality and deliver impact at scale. At a time of ongoing discussion around the OA transition, our focus remains on the approaches that deliver sustainable, proven value for researchers, institutions and society so research can be openly shared, responsibly reused and trusted by future generations."

The publisher's fifth OA report further highlights how Springer Nature's approach to OA is increasing the visibility, reach and impact of research, extending equitable access to knowledge globally, and helping research deliver greater real-world impact beyond academia.

• Greater visibility and impact for authors – Researchers publishing full OA with Springer Nature continue to benefit from the highest usage of all mixed-model and pure OA publishers, with an average 7.6 citations per article, up 21% on the previous year.
• Greater global reach for research – Downloads of Springer Nature OA content increased 48% across Low- and Middle-Income Countries, helping extend access to research and knowledge worldwide.
• Faster real-world impact – Data shows OA articles are cited in policy nearly a year earlier than non-OA research, helping accelerate the translation of evidence into policy and decision-making.

The full report can be accessed here, alongside previous editions. Together with Springer Nature's Annual Report, it reflects the company's ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and supporting researchers through the transition to open research. More on the publisher's approach to OA can be found here.

^[1] Around 300,000 articles have been published under Springer and Nature TAs (2015-2025) – 165,000 –50% of the total, have been published between 2023-2025.

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