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The Open-Access Publication Fund

We are delighted that, in addition to publications in the Wiley and Springer Nature publishers, we are also able to provide special support for publications in Elsevier. No separate application is required for publications with these publishers. In addition, the costs for open access publications are covered in full. There is therefore no maximum funding limit.

Publishing in open-access journals may incur costs in the form of Article Processing Charges (APCs). In many cases, such costs must be borne by authors.

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University Medical Center Mainz finance the publication of research results of their staff in open access journals by means of their Open-Access Publication Fund. Since 2022, this fund is again being co-financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Every paper worthy of support will be funded to the tune of €2,000, of which €700 will be provided by the DFG and €1,300 will stem from central funds.

Reimbursement from the Open Access Publications fund 2021

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.
  • The maximum amount of costs reimbursement is capped at €2,000 gross / €1.680,67 net.
  • Note: Proportional funding for invoices over €2,000 gross / €1.680,67 net is possible. However, the difference has to be paid by the authors.
  • 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.

 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, the SAP-excerpt 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 UMC 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.

Publication guideline of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

The publication guideline is binding for all members and affiliates of the University Medical Center, guest researchers, etc., insofar as the publication is directly related to their work and a substantial part of the research work was carried out here. Publication guideline of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Reimbursement FAQs:

  • How do I determine if the journal in which my papers have been published is exclusively open access?

    You can find this out by locating the journal in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which only includes peer-reviewed academic journals that are available online and free-of-charge as soon as they are published.

    • How can I avoid paying VAT twice on foreign invoices?
      If the publisher is based outside Germany, it will normally charge you the VAT applicable in the country in which it is based. To avoid this, please provide the publisher with the international VAT number of the University Medical Center Mainz: DE 149065652.. This will mean you will not need to pay VAT both in the country of the publisher and in Germany.

  • Where can I get answers to other open-access related questions?
    For questions related to reimbursement from the Open-Access Publication Fund, please contact us via Forschung.UM@uni-mainz.de.   

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.


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Contacts

 

Ms. Alexandra Haag
Research Administration
Tel.: +49 (0)6131 39-29394
 Forschung.UM@uni-mainz.de

 

Dr. Tsanan Heimann
Research Officer
Tel.: +49 (0)6131 39-27705
 Forschung.UM@uni-mainz.de