NIH to Limit Article Processing Charges for Funded Research
In early July, the National Institute of Health (NIH) announced plans to limit the amount of NIH grant funds used to cover journal article processing charges (APCs) (NIH to crack down on excessive publisher fees for publicly funded research). Citing APCs as high as $13,000, the announcement includes a statement from director Jay Bhattacharya noting that the move is intended to reduce costs for taxpayers and increase access to research. It follows the agency's April decision to move up the deadline for complying with its Public Access Policy from December 31, 2025 to July 1. That policy requires publishers to release publicly funded research as open access immediately upon publication, with no embargo.
NIH Plans to Cap Publisher Fees, Dilute ‘Scientific Elite’ Director of the National Institutes of Health says that capping research journals’ open-access fees will help rein in the $19 billion academic publishing industry and bolster scientific debate. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/4nH38ji
— Inside Higher Ed (@insidehighered.com) July 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Many publishers rely on APCs to support their open access programs, and the news prompted speculation on the amount that the NIH would set as a limit. On July 30, the agency issued a request for information outlining several forms that a cap could take, from allowing no grant funds at all to be used for APCs to setting a cap based on a set dollar amount, a percentage of the total grant amount, or a combination of both. There is also a suggestion to allow for higher publication costs when peer reviewers are paid. The NIH has invited members of the research community, including researchers, librarians, publishers, and others, to comment on these scenarios. Whatever is decided, the request notes that the new rules will go into effect on January 1, 2026.