The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) and information analytics business Elsevier are to extend their current agreement by six months. These six months will be used to continue discussions. The VSNU continues to strive to secure commitment to 100% open access by 2020, as set out in the National Open Science Plan.

During the meetings which took place over the past months between VSNU and Elsevier, topics discussed have included open science, how a new licensing agreement contributes to an aspired future open science infrastructure for the Netherlands, and the implications of Plan S. Extending the current agreement by six months will enable the continuation of these discussions.



The current agreement with Elsevier is set to expire on 31 December 2018. During the six-month extension, access will continue under existing terms. Elsevier and VSNU will also continue their gold OA pilot, broadening this to include additional open access journals. Further details on the current agreement can be found here.

About open access and the VSNU

Agreements about subscription fees for academic journals are made with academic publishers on behalf of all Dutch universities. The VSNU is currently negotiating with these publishers on the universities’ behalf. The universities are only willing to renew the subscription agreements on the provision that publishers accept 100% open access. During the next six months the VSNU and Elsevier will continue their negotiations in the joined hope that a future-proof contract will be concluded. The VSNU will report any new developments as soon as they arise. Click here for more information about open access.