India Launches 'One Nation One Subscription' Initiative to Democratize Access to Scholarly Knowledge

Mumbai, India - January 15, 2025 - In a significant move aimed at enhancing research and development capabilities in the country, the Indian government has launched the "One Nation One Subscription" (ONOS) initiative. Announced on November 25, 2024, this scheme seeks to democratize access to scholarly knowledge across India's higher education institutions and research centres.

Aiming to position India as a global leader in innovation and research, the ONOS initiative provides access to over 13,000 scholarly journals from leading international publishers. The central management of this initiative will be handled by INFLIBNET, an autonomous inter-university centre, ensuring a streamlined distribution of digital access to participating institutions.

With a budget allocation of ₹6,000 crore for implementation spanning the period from 2025 to 2027, this project brings together over 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers across various disciplines such as STEM, Medicine, and Social Sciences.

"By providing equal access to high-quality research publications, we aim to bridge the research gap between tier 1 and tier 2 and tier 3 cities," said a government spokesperson on Tuesday. The primary goal of this initiative aims to democratize knowledge while facilitating India’s participation in international research communities.

The launch of ONOS marks an exciting milestone for India's academic landscape, enabling greater collaboration and global connectivity among researchers across the nation.

To bring this vision to fruition, the phase I plan for ONOS will commence on January 1, 2025. According to the details released by INFLIBNET, over 13,000 scholarly journals are set to be made available digitally during this initial phase. Additionally, ₹150 crore annually is allocated to support authors in publishing high-quality Open Access journals.

Researchers and institutions across India have welcomed this initiative as a landmark step towards building India's research strength on the global stage.

India's One Nation One Subscription scheme aims to transform the nation into an innovative force through bettering research infrastructure.