Funding APCs #

For Gold Open Access, most journals require an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover the cost of making the article freely available. ICArEHB supports its researchers in navigating APC funding through the following:

Institutional Funding:

• ICArEHB researchers may have access to institutional funds or agreements that cover or subsidize APCs for certain Open Access journals.
• Check with the ICArEHB Open Science Committee to see if there are funds available for APC support or if there are existing agreements with Open Access publishers that reduce APC costs (see FCT Agreements below).

Funder Support:

• Many research funders, particularly under Plan S, provide grants or support for covering APCs. Researchers should consult their funder’s Open Access policy to confirm eligibility for APC funding.
• In cases where the funder covers APCs, ensure that you are adhering to their guidelines for Open Access publishing (e.g., immediate Open Access and use of specific repositories).

FCT Agreements

• Elsevier and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) have established an agreement to support authors in Portugal who wish to publish open access. When publishing in eligible hybrid journals, authors do not have to pay an article publishing charge (APC). The cost of publishing open access is covered under the terms of the agreement. Please note that the number of APCs included under the agreement is fixed and will be allocated based on date of acceptance. See more info here.
• UAlg is also participating in the agreement between Springer Nature and FCT/FCCN/b-on consortium, meaning that corresponding authors are eligible to publish their articles open access with fees covered. The agreement includes hybrid journals across the Springer and Adis portfolios. See more info here.

ERC Policy

• If you publish in a full open access journal or book, or on a full open access publishing platform, publishing fees are eligible costs if incurred during the lifetime of your project and in line with the provisions of your grant agreement.
• If you publish in a subscription or hybrid journal, in a book for which some parts are not open access, or on a publishing platform that does not provide all of its scholarly content in open access fees of any kind are not eligible costs for the ERC.
• See more info here.

Waivers and Discounts:

• Some Open Access journals offer APC waivers or discounts, particularly for researchers from low-income institutions or countries. Even if ICArEHB has sufficient resources, it is worth inquiring about waivers.

APC Transparency:

• Make sure the journal’s APC is transparently listed on its website, and avoid journals that are unclear about APC costs. APCs can range from a few hundred to several thousand euros depending on the journal.