AIP Publishing (AIPP) and the Max Planck Society have solidified their partnership with a new three-year agreement centered around AIP Fusion, a model designed to streamline open access publishing and research dissemination. The deal, announced on , builds upon a long-standing relationship and reflects a growing industry trend toward institution-level publishing agreements.
At its core, AIP Fusion integrates reading and publishing rights into a single agreement, offering researchers affiliated with Max Planck Institutes comprehensive access to AIP Publishing’s entire journal portfolio. Crucially, the agreement eliminates individual article processing charges (APCs) for open access publication in all AIP Publishing and partner titles, including gold open access journals. This removes a significant financial barrier for researchers and simplifies the publishing process.
The agreement was negotiated by the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), now part of MaxIT, on behalf of the Max Planck Society. This highlights the increasing role of digital libraries and consortia in shaping the future of scholarly publishing. The MPDL’s involvement underscores a strategic commitment to open access and a desire to influence the development of sustainable publishing models.
AIP Fusion represents a departure from the traditional “article economy,” where institutions and researchers pay per-article for publishing access. Instead, it operates on a subscription basis, allowing institutions to support open publishing at scale with predictable costs. This model is particularly appealing to large research organizations like the Max Planck Society, which generate a substantial volume of publications.
“We value the collaborative approach AIP Publishing has taken in developing this model with institutions and we see it as another strategic investment in open access that supports our researchers while advancing a more open scholarly communication landscape,” said Ádám Dér, Head of the Scientific Information Provision at the MPDL. This statement emphasizes the importance of collaboration between publishers and institutions in fostering a more equitable and accessible research environment.
The benefits of AIP Fusion extend beyond cost savings. By consolidating publishing and reading access, the model aims to reduce administrative complexity for both researchers and institutions. This streamlined process allows researchers to focus on their work rather than navigating complex publishing requirements. The model preserves editorial independence, ensuring that publishing decisions are made based on scientific merit rather than financial considerations.
AIP Publishing’s development of AIP Fusion involved close consultation with libraries and consortia worldwide, demonstrating a commitment to addressing the needs of the research community. Kevin Steiner, Global Head of Sales at AIP Publishing, noted that the MPDL’s input was instrumental in shaping the model to reflect real library priorities. “This agreement demonstrates how publishers and libraries can work together to expand access to high-quality research while supporting a sustainable and scalable path to open science,” Steiner said.
This agreement with the Max Planck Society follows an earlier announcement on , where AIP Publishing announced its first AIP Fusion agreement with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). UNAM, the largest research institution in Latin America, is the first institutional consortia globally to adopt the AIP Fusion model. This initial partnership signaled the potential for broader implementation of the model beyond Europe and North America.
The UNAM agreement, covering 18 campuses, also provides unlimited access to AIPP and partner journals and unlimited open access publishing opportunities without APCs. Dr. Antonio Sánchez Pereyra, Head of the Latin American Bibliography Department at UNAM, highlighted the model’s ability to remove financial and geographic barriers to research access, strengthening the commitment to advancing open science.
AIP Fusion was initially launched as a pilot program in 2025, allowing AIP Publishing to refine the model based on feedback from participating institutions. The success of the pilot program, coupled with the agreements with Max Planck and UNAM, suggests that AIP Fusion is gaining traction as a viable alternative to traditional publishing models. The model’s emphasis on transparency, sustainability, and collaboration positions it as a potential catalyst for broader adoption of open access practices within the scholarly publishing landscape.
The move towards institution-centered open access models like AIP Fusion reflects a broader shift in the publishing industry, driven by growing pressure to make research more accessible and affordable. As more institutions embrace these models, the traditional paywall system may gradually give way to a more open and equitable system of knowledge dissemination.
