Posted March 2, 2026 by Joanie Barnes
UNL researchers with National Institutes of Health grants are facing new challenges in meeting grant requirements. The Office of Research and Innovation and the University Libraries are working closely together to provide clear, accurate information to UNL researchers and to develop additional support for investigators facing these challenges.
The purpose of this communication is to summarize the present, specific situation; clarify facts; offer some immediate paths forward; and create open lines for communication.
Background and resource for UNL scholars
At issue are the interests of the U.S. government, which maintains accountability to the U.S. public that funds research, and of the largest commercial academic publishers accountable to shareholders or private owners.
Researchers with NIH funding are now required by the agency to deposit final, peer-reviewed manuscripts in PubMed Central upon the official date of publication of the article. This NIH requirement aligns with the 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy memo, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” This process may conflict with some publisher policies, unless authors bear significant costs to pay for open access publishing.
The University Libraries has created this resource on “NIH-friendly” publishers and journals, which allow authors to meet the NIH requirement for immediate deposit. With some of these publishers, the UNL Libraries has negotiated publishing agreements on behalf of the institution, where UNL authors’ publishing fees are covered by the University Libraries. These publishers, as well as those who do not impose limits on authors’ rights to self-deposit their peer-reviewed manuscript in PubMed as a condition of publication, are included on the “NIH-friendly” resource.
Springer journals
Related to the updated NIH requirements, and to a general desire to publish in Springer journals, some recent questions have arisen on campus about the UNL Libraries’ current agreement with Springer. To clarify, no institution in the University of Nebraska system is part of a Big Ten Academic Alliance agreement with Springer.
UNL Libraries maintains perpetual access to the Springer journal backfiles, current subscription access to a smaller portfolio of journals based on demonstrated use, and on-demand access to all other post-2025 Springer content. In brief, UNL authors have access to all articles published in Springer journals, even though the paths to access may be different than in the past. Other NU Libraries have maintained subscription access to the entire Springer journals portfolio. For all NU libraries, regardless of individual institutional approach, access refers to means of accessing articles in the Springer portfolio, not publishing.
Publishing costs
The current BTAA-negotiated agreement does not include publishing in the Nature portfolio. In other words, the open access publishing costs in the Nature portfolio exist as they have historically, including institutions that are part of the BTAA-negotiated agreement.
These issues and challenges constitute an evolving national conversation.
Authors are encouraged, whenever feasible, to consider publishing in journals included on the “NIH-friendly” list. Several of these journals/publishers participate in open publishing agreements with the University Libraries, allowing authors to publish their work without direct individual cost. Other journals, which offer authors the best alignment with specific scientific findings, or that best support researcher career stage considerations, may require direct costs to be paid by authors.
Researchers who anticipate publishing in journals requiring publishing fees are encouraged to budget for the level of publishing costs needed and allowable in NIH or other grant proposals. The University Libraries is available to consult with researchers about these considerations and their individual circumstances, helping them identify options and develop workable solutions.
Advocacy
UNL representatives are actively engaged with organizations including SPARC, the Authors Alliance, the Association of Research Libraries and the Council on Governmental Relations, among others, to advance sustainable solutions at both local and national levels. R&I and the University Libraries will continue to share information, gather input from the UNL community and support approaches that enable UNL researchers to thrive while ensuring that the broader world benefits from the remarkable research conducted here. Dean of Libraries Liz Lorang welcomes direct input from UNL researchers.
