Frontiers, NSFC and CEPIEC sign strategic agreement

Frontiers, the Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation Ltd (CEPIEC) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing aimed at promoting the sharing of academic resources and broadening access to publicly funded research.

The agreement reflects a shared commitment to advancing a more open, transparent, and globally connected research ecosystem, with a focus on improving access, infrastructure, and collaboration across the scholarly communications landscape.

Under the agreement, the three organisations will work together to promote open access to publicly funded research papers, support data repository services, and strengthen collaboration on research integrity. As part of the initiative, Frontiers will provide a 10% discount on article processing charges (APCs) for accepted papers funded by the NSFC, with the effective date to be confirmed.

The agreement was signed by Dong Li, Deputy Director of the NSFC Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation; Jianxin Wang, President of CEPIEC; and Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. The signing was witnessed by senior representatives from all three organisations.

The partnership is expected to support the NSFC in more effectively collating and managing research outputs, while contributing to the development of its open access repository platform and expanding the global dissemination and impact of funded research.

Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers, said: “The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement marks an important milestone in Frontiers’ collaboration with China’s research community. It reflects our shared commitment to open science. Looking ahead, we hope to deepen our cooperation in areas such as flagship journal publishing, AI-supported research data services, and research integrity.”

Dong Li, Deputy Director of the NSFC Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation, said: “Frontiers is one of the world’s leading scientific publishers, bringing together many high-quality journals. It has also made outstanding contributions to building a new ecosystem for academic publishing and advancing global research collaboration. The partnership will further promote the open sharing of academic resources and improve the management efficiency of NSFC-supported research outputs. I hope the three parties will work closely together, leverage their respective strengths, integrate resources efficiently, and deepen collaboration, thereby strengthening China’s scientific and technological innovation capacity and fostering an open, collaborative academic ecosystem.”

Jianxin Wang, President of CEPIEC, said: “This agreement is not only a win-win initiative built on complementary resources and combined strengths, but also a practical step aligned with national strategic priorities. Going forward, the three parties will deepen cooperation in areas including international communication of research outputs, data sharing, and research integrity, with a focus on national priorities, open science trends, and the goals of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Together, we aim to enhance the global influence of Chinese research and contribute to a strong international academic ecosystem.”