University of California and JMIR Publications Extend Multi-Year Open Access Publishing Partnership Through 2026

The University of California and JMIR Publications renew their partnership through 2026, using a multi-payer model to support open-access digital health research.

By: AXL Media

Published: May 1, 2026, 8:42 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from EurekAlert!

A Renewed Commitment to Universal Scientific Access

The University of California and JMIR Publications have officially solidified their long-term collaboration by extending their institutional membership agreement through the end of 2026. This partnership, coordinated through the California Digital Library, aims to advance the principles of open science by removing the financial barriers that often prevent scholarly research from reaching the public. Since its inception in 2021, the agreement has successfully supported the publication of more than 450 articles, ensuring that critical findings in digital health are available without the constraints of traditional subscription fees.

The Financial Mechanics of the Multi-Payer Model

The heart of this extension lies in a successful multi-payer financial arrangement designed to distribute the cost of academic dissemination. Under the terms of the agreement, the University of California Libraries automatically contribute the first $1,000 toward the Article Processing Fee for any accepted manuscript where the corresponding author is affiliated with a UC campus. For researchers who do not have access to external grant funding to cover the remaining balance, the UC Libraries provide full coverage of the fees. This structure is intended to ensure that a lack of research funds does not impede the sharing of knowledge.

Lowering the Barrier for Global Health Insights

According to Miranda Bennett, Director of Shared Collections at the California Digital Library, the primary goal of the extension is to make open access both sustainable and equitable. By subsidizing these costs, the university is actively working to democratize the flow of information between academic institutions and the global healthcare community. This model is particularly relevant for independent open-access publishers like JMIR, as it creates a stable economic framework for peer-reviewed digital health research. Dennis O’Brien, representing JMIR Publications, noted that the collaboration serves as a practical blueprint for how libraries and publishers can work together to benefit the broader academic environment.