One Nation One Subscription Scheme revolutionises research access | Fusion - WeRIndia

The Union Cabinet introduced the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme on Monday.

The scheme is aimed to provide seamless access to leading academic journals for higher education and research institutions across India.

This initiative aims to streamline the fragmented subscription system and ensure uniform access to scholarly resources.

Starting January 1, 2025, all central and state-run higher education institutions will have centralized access to approximately 13,000 prestigious journals through a single digital platform.

This platform will be overseen by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous centre under the UGC.

ONOS consolidates the current model of ten separate library consortia managed by various ministries. Thus, it intends to make access simpler and more efficient.

The scheme involves an outlay of ₹6,000 crore over three years and includes journals from 30 leading international publishers.

Notable names include Elsevier ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, and Oxford University Press.

This initiative will benefit around 6,300 institutions, including several universities, colleges, and research centres. Thus, it ensures comprehensive coverage of all academic disciplines.

One of ONOS’s key objectives is to level the playing field by providing resources to institutions that previously lacked sufficient funds to access international journals.

INFLIBNET will make centralized payments to publishers. At the same time, it also helps individual institutions so that they can allocate their budgets for journals not included in the scheme.

This move is expected to foster collaboration and interdisciplinary research by offering a vast repository of knowledge to all institutions.

It also reduces administrative complexity, allowing institutions to focus more on teaching and research.

The scheme is set to revolutionize India’s academic ecosystem by promoting equity in knowledge access.

It will empower students, educators, and researchers. In addition, the scheme will also enable them to drive innovation and contribute to India’s growing influence in global research and development.

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