Open Access Publications Fund

Publishing in Open Access Journals may lead to costs in the form of Article Processing Charges (APCs). In most cases, these costs have to be carried by the publication author(s).

The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University Medical Center offer researchers who publish in Open Access Journals financial support through the JGU Mainz Library's Open Access Fund. This fund was co-financed (40%) through 2019 by the German Research Foundation (DFG). 

Reimbursement from the Open Access Publications fund

• What are the funding criteria?
• Please check if your article meets the eligibility criteria for journal articles (GER). Only papers published in true open access journals can be funded.
• Note that the maximum amount of costs reimbursement is capped at 2,000 € gross / 1.680,67 € net (invoice total).
• For invoices in foreign currencies, the actually paid invoice total in € plus the VAT to be paid in Germany of 19% applies.
• The invoice should include the VAT identification number of the University Medical Center - DE 149065652.
• Tip: Many publishers know that funding for Open Access publications is often restricted. Contact your publisher to discuss your options, as they may be willing to adjust their pricing.
• Note:  Proportional funding for invoices over € 1,680.67 net / € 2,000 gross is not possible.

• Who is eligible to submit an application for funding for Open Access Publishing?
• All researchers at the University Medical Center Mainz who are named as the responsible Submitting or Corresponding Author for billing purposes.

• How to apply for APC reimbursement?
• After successful publication, submit an application for reimbursement from the Publications Fund. Please use the current application form available in our download area.
• Attach a PDF of the invoice and your article (or the DOI) to your application and send all documents, preferably by email, to the  Research office.
• If the application is granted and sufficient funding is still available, the invoice amount will be credited to the cost center specified in the application form.
• Note: The fund is based on the principle of reimbursement. For this reason, payments can not be made directly to the publisher. There is also no possibility to reimburse the amount to private bank accounts.

FAQ

• How do I know if a journal is open access?
  

  Please check if the journal is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) to make sure your paper is published open access. The DOAJ only contains scientific journals with quality control that are available online free of charge immediately after publication are included. It does not cover hybrid journals.




• How can I avoid paying Value Added Taxes twice on foreign cost invoices?
  If the publisher is located abroad, you will usually be charged the local VAT rate. To avoid being charged both local and German VAT, please submit UMC's VAT number (DE 149065652) to your publisher.




• Funding for Open Access publications stemming from BMBF-funded projects
  The BMBF provides funding  for Open Access publications stemming from closed BMBF-funded projects. Applicants may request either partial or full reimbursement up to 2,400 €.




• Who can assist me with further Open Access questions and concerns?
  Please contact Dr. Claudia Hackenberg (Tel. 17-9705) at the Research Office for all Open Access Publications Fund-related matters.

Special conditions with publishers

You will find further information on special conditions with various publishers on the homepage of the JGU Library (GER). Please note that for articles published in one of these journals, an application for funding through the Open Access Publication fund can only be applied for after publication (same conditions and procedure as described above).

Predatory Open Access

To assist you in identifying predatory Open Access journals, the Working Group of the Publication Fund of JGU and UMC have put together a handout with and overview of the issue and what to be aware of when vetting journals for publication of your research or for joining their editorial board. You can find the handout in our Downloads section.