Expanded opportunities for free Open Access publishing for MU authors in 2026

WEBINAR: New Opportunities and Practical Tips 

We have prepared a webinar focused on the latest Open Access publishing support options at Masaryk University. You will learn what is changing in 2026, which publishers are now newly covered by MU (Elsevier, APS, BMJ), how APC tokens work,the eligibility criteria for obtaining them, and who to contact for assistance. There will also be time for your questions. 
 
You can choose one of three available dates for the webinar (note: this is not a series; it's a single webinar offered on three different dates). 

1st Webinar – Thu 12 March 2026 | 10:00–11:00
Language: Czech
Join here 
Meeting ID: 322 071 037 912 92 
Passcode: rQ9Kg9tZ 

2nd Webinar– Thu 19 March 2026 | 10:00–11:00 
Language: English
Join here 
Meeting ID: 315 073 366 152 89 
Passcode: FF7DU23P 

3rd Webinar – Tue 24 March 2026 | 13:00–14:00 
Language: Czech 
Join here
Meeting ID: 356 338 814 456 80 
Passcode: g5jR2rS3

What is new in 2026? 

New publishers within CzechELib transformative agreements: 

Corresponding authors affiliated with Masaryk University can now use APC tokens for free publishing in Open Access with the following publishers: 

Elsevier 
A broad portfolio of hybrid journals within the Core Hybrid collection. 

APS (American Physical Society) 
Key titles for physics and technical disciplines (selected hybrid journals). 

BMJ (British Medical Journal Group) 
A significant expansion of support for medical and health sciences (both hybrid and fully Open Access journals). 

SAGE HSS
Publishing without additional fees for humanities and social sciences. Within the SAGE HSS Package, the previous administrative surcharge of GBP 200 has been abolished. Publishing in hybrid titles is now fully free of charge for MU authors. 

Renewed capacities with existing partners 
For 2026, new token packages have been made available across all existing partners (e.g. Springer, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and others). 

The rules remain the same: Journal quality comes first 

The basic mechanism for allocating tokens at Masaryk University remains the same as last year. In order for a token request to be approved, the following criteria must be met: 

Support can only be used by the corresponding author with an active affiliation to MU. In the editorial system, we strongly recommend using an institutional email address only, such as xyz@muni.cz or xyz@med.muni.cz. 

Journal quartile ranking is assessed primarily according to: 

• AIS (Article Influence Score) in Web of Science, or 

• SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) in Scopus 

Conditions by discipline: 

• STM fields (natural sciences, medicine, computer science): 
  Support is provided for journals ranked in Q1 and Q2. 
• HSS fields (humanities and social sciences): 
  Support covers a broader range of journals ranked in Q1 to Q3 
  (except for Taylor & Francis).

Tokens are allocated on a “first come, first served” basis:
Tokens are provided according to the principle of first come, first served, depending on the order of requests and available capacity. 

Useful links for authors:

The Open Science MUNI website serves as a central hub with detailed rules, guidelines, contacts, and the list of supported journals for 2026. 

Instructions for authors on the CzechELib website provide detailed publisher-specific guidance and information on the token allocation process.