The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has signed a major publication arrangement with the Public Library of Science (PLOS), allowing its scholars to publish limitless research in all PLOS journals. The agreement, which is effective until 2026, is a big step towards making high-quality research publicly available worldwide.

MAHE, which has been designated as an Institute of Eminence by the Government of India, is participating in PLOS' Community Action Publishing, Global Equity, and Flat Fee models. These approaches shift the expense of publishing from individual researchers to their organisations, eliminating financial obstacles and paywalls that frequently limit the availability of scientific knowledge.

"Manipal Academy of Higher Education is proud to partner with PLOS under an institutional agreement, which aligns seamlessly with our commitment to fostering open, accessible, and impactful research," stated Dr Santhosh KV, MAHE's Open Access Coordinator. "This agreement removes the paywall's financial obstacles, allowing academics around the world to freely access MAHE researchers' published content. We feel that taking this step will considerably increase the global awareness and reach of MAHE research.

Roheena Anand, Executive Director of Global Publishing Development & Sales at PLOS, stated, "We are pleased to collaborate with MAHE since they share our objective of creating a more fair and barrier-free form of publishing. This cooperation broadens our reach in India and contributes to open scientific opportunities for researchers in the region."

Sameer Puri, founder and CEO of SPUR Infosolutions, which brokered the collaboration, stated, "We are incredibly proud to announce an exclusive partnership with PLOS, bringing their innovative institutional models to India for the first time." This agreement encourages increased participation and collaboration by allowing MAHE to share their findings with the worldwide research community. We look forward to providing similar chances to other universities in India."

MAHE is now among a growing number of international institutions that have signed similar agreements with PLOS. These include SURF in the Netherlands, Jisc in the United Kingdom, NorthEast Research Libraries (NERL) and the Centre for Research Libraries (CRL) in the United States, CRKN in Canada, the Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology (TIB) in Germany, IReL in Ireland, and Couperin in France. These agreements aim to make research more freely available, stimulate collaboration, and allow scientists to make more effective contributions to world knowledge.

By eliminating paywalls and financial restrictions, this collaboration not only benefits academics but also ensures that vital scientific knowledge reaches educators, policymakers, students, and the general public, thereby improving India's position in the global scientific community.