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 to promote the sharing of academic resources and broaden access to publicly funded research. The agreement reflects the three parties’ shared commitment to advancing a more open, transparent, and globally connected research ecosystem.

Under the agreement, Frontiers, the NSFC Center for Science Communication and Achievement Transformation, and CEPIEC 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 agreement, Frontiers will provide a 10% discount on article processing charges (APCs) for accepted papers funded by the NSFC. The effective date of the discount will be announced separately.

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 Zegui Xie, Vice President of CEPIEC; Yamei Huang, Director of the President’s Office of CEPIEC; Mehmet Toral, Chief Corporate Officer and General Counsel of Frontiers; Diane Wang, Managing Director, China of Frontiers; and representatives from the NSFC.

The partnership is expected to help the NSFC more effectively collate and manage research outputs, support the development of its open access repository platform, and expand the 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.”

About Frontiers

Frontiers is a leading research publisher on a mission to accelerate collaboration and discovery by making science open – enabling researchers to find the solutions we all need for healthy lives on a healthy planet. Powered by custom-built technology, artificial intelligence, and efficient and rigorous peer review, Frontiers community journals give experts in more than 1,700 academic fields an open access platform to publish high quality, high impact research. Through outreach work to build strong partnerships with businesses, policymakers, and educators, Frontiers leads the transition to open science.