India to Unlock Global Research Database with 'One Nation, One Subscription' Initiative

New Delhi: A historic leap forward in accessing research and academic journals across the globe was announced by the government today as it prepares to roll out the ambitious "One Nation, One Subscription" (ONOS) initiative from January 1. Under this initiative, students and researchers from over 6,380 higher education and research institutions will have seamless access to over 13,400 top international journals covering a wide range of disciplines.

As part of this rollout, the government has partnered with 30 prominent publishers including Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley to provide free access to these journals. Under this initiative, students from 451 state-funded public universities, 4,864 colleges, and 172 institutes of national importance, among others, will have access to top journals across science, technology, engineering, medicine, mathematics, management, social sciences, and humanities.

"The 'One Nation, One Subscription' initiative is a game-changer for Indian researchers," said Dr. AK Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, addressing a press conference. "Earlier, institutions like IITs or central universities subscribed to only a small set of journals related to specific disciplines but now all institutions will have access to 13,400 research journals".

This massive initiative aims to bridge the country's academic isolation and bring India's researchers within global reach. The second phase of the initiative plans to extend this access to private academic institutions through a public-private partnership model.

"ONOS has been designed as an inclusive effort to bridge the knowledge divide across the country," Dr. Sood said, outlining the government's vision for academic growth and research development in India.