A transformation agreement is an agreement negotiated between the CzechElib National Centre and individual publishers of journals whose business model is based on subscription revenues. The agreements should ensure a smooth transformation of this business model into a new, more open form.

The agreements have arisen as a result of a greater emphasis by funders on OA publishing in recent years, as well as the size of APC fees. The scholarly community has agreed on the unacceptability of paying twice for the same content (i.e., paying APCs – author fees for publication – and subscription fees for reader access). The costs incurred by research institutions for subscriptions are therefore redefined through these contracts as payment for access (subscription) and also for an unlimited or certain number of so-called APC tokens/vouchers for the publication of articles (in OA mode in the publishers’ journals) for authors from the participating institutions.

For 2023, CzechElib has negotiated agreements with several publishers. A current and complete list of the publishers contracted, the journal titles covered and the exact terms and conditions can be found on the CzechElib website – Instructions for authors. The terms and conditions for OA and token allocation are normally in Appendix E of each contract. The number of tokens for each consortium member for each publisher is specified in the contract between CzechElib and the participating institution. In the case of publishers with a limited number of tokens, you need to check the OA publishing option with the OA administrator/EIZ manager at your research Institute.

The whole system works by identifying the authors’ affiliation through the used email, so it is necessary to communicate with the publisher only through the institutional email. Considering the fact that each department of the CAS is a member of different consortia and thus different conditions apply to each of them – it is always advisable to consult the OA administrator/EIZ manager at your department.

The only exception is the Emerald publishing house, where the possibility to publish in the agreed mode is contractually guaranteed by the Library of the CAS for authors from all departments of the CAS. The number of articles negotiated by this consortium should cover 100% of the need. In the case of this publisher, no active verification is required.

If the Library of the CAS is mentioned in the lists of participating institutions, the contractual conditions apply ONLY to authors from the Library of the CAS.

Overview of selected publishers and departments of the CAS involved in relevant consortia:

American Chemical Society (ACS) – Free and unrestricted Open Access publishing (in hybrid titles) for corresponding authors from:

American Institute of Physics (AIP) – Free publication of a limited number of articles (tokens) in Open Access mode in selected hybrid titles for corresponding authors from:

• Institute of Physics of the CAS
•  J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS
•  Institute of Nuclear Physics of the CAS
•  Institute of Instrumentation of the CAS

Cambridge University Press – Free and unrestricted Open Access publishing in all titles (hybrid and Gold OA) for corresponding authors from:

• Library of the CAS
• Institute of Mathematics of the CAS
• Oriental Institute of the CAS

IOPscience – Free unlimited Open Access publishing in all titles (hybrid and Gold OA) with a few exceptions, for corresponding authors from:

• Institute of Physics of the CAS
• J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS
• Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS
• Institute of Nuclear Physics of the CAS
• Institute of Instrumentation of the CAS
• Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS

UPDATE 12.10.2023: An amendment to the contract for the inclusion of the journal Reports on Progress in Physics (ISSN: 1361-6633) among the eligible. It will no longer be in the list of exceptions not covered by the contract.

Oxford University Press – Free and unrestricted Open Access publishing in all titles (hybrid and Gold OA) with a few exceptions, for corresponding authors from::

• Institute of Physiology of the CAS
• Library of the CAS

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) – Free unrestricted Open Access publishing in all titles (hybrid and Gold OA) for corresponding authors from:

• Institute of Physics of the CAS
• Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the CAS
• J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS
• Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS
• Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS

Springer Nature – Free publication of a limited number of articles (tokens) in Open Access mode in hybrid titles (Springer, Adis, Palgrave and Academic journals on Nature.com) for corresponding authors from:

Taylor & Francis – Free publication of a limited number of articles (using tokens) in Open Access mode in hybrid titles for corresponding authors from:

• Institute of Physics of the CAS
• Institute of Mathematics of the CAS
• Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS

Wiley – – Free publication of a limited number of articles (tokens) in Open Access mode in hybrid titles for corresponding authors from: