The ONOS scheme aims to streamline the fragmented approach to journal access across government higher education institutions (HEIs). Under this initiative, state and central government HEIs will have unified access to a vast collection of journals through a single platform, set to launch on January 1, 2025.
This platform will feature 13,000 journals from 30 international publishers, including Elsevier Science Direct (with Lancet), Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Sage Publishing, American Chemical Society, and American Mathematical Society. Institutions need only register on the platform to access the resources. INFLIBNET has been designated to oversee the implementation of the scheme. The central government has negotiated subscription rates with the publishers and allocated ₹6,000 crore for the initiative, covering three years (2025–2027).
The ONOS scheme is supported by four key objectives:
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Enhanced Accessibility: It will provide access to leading scholarly journals for approximately 55 lakh to 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers from nearly 6,300 government universities, colleges, research institutions, and Institutions of National Importance (INIs), including those in smaller cities and towns.
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Cost Efficiency: By eliminating redundant subscriptions across various library consortia and individual HEIs, the scheme will significantly reduce unnecessary expenditures.
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Improved Negotiation Power: A centralized subscription model enhances bargaining strength with publishers. For instance, sustained negotiations over two years reduced the initial subscription cost from ₹4,000 crore annually to ₹1,800 crore for 13,000 journals.
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Data-Driven Planning: The Centre will gain insights into journal usage within the government HEI ecosystem. This data will support long-term planning and encourage underutilizing institutions to make the most of the platform, thereby maximizing its value for educators, students, and researchers
- This initiative stems from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which highlights the critical role of research in advancing education and driving national progress.
- The NEP 2020 emphasizes that for India to emerge as a global leader in diverse fields and fully harness its vast talent pool, it must significantly enhance its research capabilities and outputs across various disciplines.
- The policy advocated for the creation of a National Research Foundation (NRF) to provide funding, support, and mentorship for research and development (R&D) while fostering a culture of innovation within the higher education landscape.
- In 2022, the central government advanced this vision by forming a core committee of secretaries, led by the Principal Scientific Advisor, to guide its implementation.
- This committee established a cost negotiation panel to engage with journal publishers for the ONOS initiative. Earlier this year, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) was officially launched to further these objectives
- The ONOS scheme aims to unify the fragmented system of journal access for government higher education institutions (HEIs). This initiative will provide a single platform for state and central government HEIs to access thousands of journals, with the platform set to launch on January 1, 2025.
- The platform will feature 13,000 journals from 30 international publishers, including Elsevier Science Direct (with Lancet), Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Sage Publishing, the American Chemical Society, and the American Mathematical Society. Institutions will simply need to register to gain access to these resources.
- The INFLIBNET Centre has been tasked with implementing the scheme. To support this initiative, the central government has secured subscription agreements with the publishers and allocated ₹6,000 crore for the years 2025, 2026, and 2027
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For Prelims: National Educational Policy (NEP), One Nation One Election , One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
For Mains: Significance of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in promoting research and innovation
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