Financial support for authors

The open-access publication model of Copernicus Publications requires the author to cover the article processing charges (APCs). For ESSD, the APCs are flat fees to be paid per finally-accepted and published journal article and include all costs of the review process, typesetting, English language copy-editing, web publication, and long-term archiving. Using these APCs, ESSD gives any surplus back to the community in 2 different ways: (a) APC discounts and waiver to authors lacking support of funds, as outlined below, and (b) reinvestments in the community by funding data rescue projects, donating into open-data infrastructure, supporting young-scientists with grants, and similar endeavours. For more details, see our news item.

Article processing charge discounts and waivers

Before submitting a manuscript, all authors are requested to explore APC funding options at their own institution or funding organization. If the authors are not eligible for any financial support scheme, they can apply for a partial or full waiver upon manuscript registration. The annual support budget of ESSD amounts to 10% of its previous year's publication output.

All applications are initially assessed by the handling editor and the final decision is then taken by the ESSD chief editors. If an application is rejected, the author can either accept to pay the APCs or withdraw the manuscript. For any discount or waiver application, priority will be given to authors who meet one or more of the below criteria:

Authors with a permanent affiliation in an economically disadvantaged country.
Special circumstances (e.g., after career disruption, or international relocation).
Authors without research funds.

Since the annual support budget is limited, applications for partial waivers are encouraged and more likely to be funded, especially where applications do not meet multiple of the above selection criteria.

Financial support schemes

The following institutions have agreements with Copernicus Publications regarding the central settlement of article processing charges (APCs). The APCs will then be settled directly between Copernicus Publications and the respective institution. The details of each agreement are specified below.

	Corresponding authors affiliated to the institutes of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) In 2020, the URICI CSIC provided a publication fund for articles published with Copernicus Publications. The fund is available to all corresponding authors affiliated with CSIC on a first-come, first-served basis. Submitting a manuscript holds out the prospect to the corresponding author that their manuscript publication will be settled by the CSIC. However, if no funds are available at the time of the publication, Copernicus Publications will charge the authors for the APCs. The CSIC can always settle the pending amount and then advise Copernicus Publications not to invoice the authors.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the four research institutes within the ETH domain If the corresponding author is affiliated to one of the research institutes of the ETH Domain, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Library for the Research Institutes within the ETH Domain (Lib4RI). This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 September 2022 (receipt of electronic manuscript files) for the following participating institutions: Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI); Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa); Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag); Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)
	Corresponding authors affiliated to institutes of the ETH Zurich If the corresponding author (first author until 31 October 2020) is affiliated to one of the institutes of the ETH Zurich, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the ETH-Bibliothek.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the Freie Universität Berlin The institutional agreement with the Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) covers papers with article processing charges up to €2,000 (net) if the first affiliation of the corresponding author is FU Berlin. If APCs exceed €2,000 net (€2,380 gross), FU Berlin will not cover any of the costs.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Exeter If the corresponding author is affiliated to the University of Exeter, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the University of Exeter Library. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 15 July 2022 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Gothenburg If the corresponding author is affiliated to the University of Gothenburg, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Gothenburg University Library. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 June 2020 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding authors affiliated to research centres of the Helmholtz Association If the corresponding author (first author until 31 August 2019) is affiliated to one of the following research centres of the Helmholtz Association, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Helmholtz Centres. Contact your local library to learn more about the internal procedure at your centre: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron – DESY Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt – DLR Forschungszentrum Jülich German Research Centre for Geosciences – GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel – GEOMAR Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung – AWI Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf – HZDR Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – KIT
	Corresponding author affiliated to the Helsinki University If the corresponding author is affiliated to the University of Helsinki, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Helsinki University Library. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 January 2021 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding authors affiliated to institutes of the Iowa State University If the corresponding author is affiliated to one of the institutes of the Iowa State University, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Iowa State University Library. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 10 January 2019 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	First or corresponding author affiliated to Lancaster University The institutional agreement with Lancaster University covers any article processing charges (APCs), as long as the first or corresponding author is affiliated with the university. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 January 2023 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding author affiliated to the Leibniz Association The institutional agreement with the Leibniz Association's Open Access Publishing Fund covers papers with article processing charges (APCs) up to €2,380 (gross) if the corresponding author of the paper is affiliated to one of the 53 participating Leibniz institutions. If APCs exceed €2,380 gross (€2,000 net), Leibniz Association's Open Access Publishing Fund will not cover any of the costs. The arrangement is valid for submissions from authors of the following participating institutions: ATB – Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy BIPS – Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology BNITM – Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine DIE – German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning DIfE – German Institute of Human Nutrition DIPF – German Institute for International Educational Research DPZ – German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research DRFZ – German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin DSMZ – Leibniz-Institute DSMZ–German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures FBH – Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik FBN – Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology FLI – Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute FMP – Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie FZB – Research Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center GEI – Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences HPI – Heinrich Pette Institute – Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology HSFK – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt IAMO – Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies IAP – Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Rostock University IÖR – Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development IDS – Leibniz Institute for the German Language IfADo – Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors IfL – Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography IfW – Kiel Institute for the World Economy IFW – Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden IGB – Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries IHP – Innovations for High Performance Microelectronics / Institut für innovative Mikroelektronik INM – Leibniz-Institute for New Materials IOW – Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde IPB – Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry IPHT – Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology IPK – Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education ISAS – Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V. IWT – Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering IZW – Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research LIfBi – Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories LIKAT – Leibniz Institute for Catalysis e.V. LIN – Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology LIR – Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research LSB – Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich MfN – Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity PIK – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (special regulation: the PIK also covers APCs > €2,380 gross (€2,000 net). The respective articles will be settled directly between PIK and Copernicus Publications.) RGZM – Leibniz Research Institute for Archaeology RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research SGN – Senckenberg Society for Nature Research TIB – German National Library of Science and Technology – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology TROPOS – Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research WIAS – Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics WZB – Berlin Social Science Center ZALF – Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research ZAS – Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research ZFMK – Research Museum Alexander Koenig – Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity ZMT – Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research ZPID – Leibniz Institute for Psychology If the fund is exhausted at the time of publication, Copernicus Publications will charge the authors for the APCs.
	Corresponding author affiliated to the Leibniz Universität Hannover The institutional agreement with the TIB (Technische Informationsbibliothek) covers papers with article processing charges (APCs) up to €2,380 (gross) if the corresponding author of the paper is affiliated to the Leibniz Universität Hannover. If APCs exceed €2,380 gross (€2,000 net), TIB will not cover any of the costs.
	Articles reporting research funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) All articles that report on research funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) will have their APCs settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the FNR. The only precondition is that authors select the FNR as a funding source during manuscript submission and appropriately acknowledge the FNR in the manuscripts’ financial support statement. The affiliation of first or corresponding author has no relevance in these cases. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 September 2022 (receipt of electronic manuscript files). Please see https://fnr.chronoshub.io/ for more information.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to research units of the Max Planck Society If the corresponding author is affiliated to one of the research units of the Max Planck Society, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Max Planck Society.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to member institutions of the German National Consortium Several scientific institutions from Germany have joined the national opt-in consortium for the central payment processing of APCs for articles of all journals. The consortium enables corresponding authors, affiliated with the participating institutions, to publish free of charge for them. The articles are financed by a prepayment deposited at the beginning of each year. Most participating institutions cover only articles with APCs up to €2,000 gross (€1,680 net) and, if exceeded, will not cover any of the costs. Some participating institutions, however, have no APC limit. Please see the list for details. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (valid for submissions after 1 January 2021, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes) Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (valid for submissions after 1 January 2020) Bayreuth University (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019) Bielefeld University (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022) Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023) Clausthal University of Technology (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019) Goethe University Frankfurt (valid for submissions after 1 January 2020, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2023) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (valid for submissions after 1 January 2022) Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019) Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes). Attention: If the requirements are met, APCs are covered only in part by the LMU Open Access Fund. After publication the corresponding author will receive an invoice from the LMU for their own share of the APCs. Münster University of Applied Sciences (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023) Osnabrück University (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022) PTB Braunschweig (valid for submissions after 1 January 2020) Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (valid for submissions after 1 January 2021) Ruhr-University Bochum (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019) RWTH Aachen University (valid for submissions after 1 January 2020) TU Bergakademie Freiberg (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023) TU Berlin (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs up to €2,380 gross: starting 1 January 2023) TU Dresden (valid for submissions after 1 January 2020, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022) Universität Duisburg-Essen (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023) University of Göttingen (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019) Universität zu Köln (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023) University of Münster (valid for submissions after 1 January 2023, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes) University of Stuttgart (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022) University of Tübingen (valid for submissions after 1 January 2019, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes, starting 1 January 2022): After publication the corresponding author will receive an invoice from the University Library for their own share of the APCs (see conditions of the Publication Fund). University of Wuppertal (valid for submissions after 1 January 2022, APCs greater than €2,000 gross: yes)
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the Stockholm University If the corresponding author is affiliated to one of the institutes of the Stockholm University, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Stockholm University.
	Articles reporting research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) All articles that report on research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will have their APCs settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the SNSF. The only precondition is that authors select the SNSF as a funding source during manuscript submission and appropriately acknowledge the SNSF in the manuscripts’ financial support statement. The affiliation of first or corresponding author has no relevance in these cases. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 September 2022 (receipt of electronic manuscript files). Please see https://snsf.chronoshub.io/ for more information.
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the Technical University of Braunschweig If the corresponding author is affiliated to one of the research unites of the Technical University of Braunschweig, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the Technical University of Braunschweig. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 January 2023 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding authors affiliated to departments of the TU Delft The TU Delft Library provides a publication fund for articles published with Copernicus Publications. The fund is available to all corresponding authors affiliated with TU Delft on a first-come, first-served basis. Submitting a manuscript holds out the prospect to the corresponding author that their manuscript publication will be settled by the TU Delft prepayment. However, if no funds are available at the time of the publication, Copernicus Publications will charge the authors for the APCs. The TU Delft can always settle the pending amount and then advise Copernicus Publications not to invoice the authors.
	First authors affiliated to institutes of the University of Bremen and Bremen University of Applied Sciences If the first author is affiliated to one of the institutes of the University of Bremen or the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, the article processing charges will be settled automatically between Copernicus Publications and the SUUB (Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Bremen).
	Corresponding author affiliated to the University of Lausanne The institutional agreement with the University of Lausanne (UNIL) covers papers with article processing charges up to €3,035 (gross) if the corresponding author of the paper is affiliated to the UNIL. If APCs exceed €3,035 gross (€2,550 net), UNIL will not cover any of the costs. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 September 2022 (receipt of electronic manuscript files). Please see https://unil.chronoshub.io for more information.
	Corresponding author affiliated to the University of Leeds The institutional agreement with the University of Leeds covers any article processing charges (APCs), as long as the corresponding author is affiliated with the university and the paper lists a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding source. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 April 2023 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	First or corresponding author affiliated to the University of Oxford The institutional agreement with the University of Oxford covers any article processing charges (APCs), as long as the first or corresponding author is affiliated with the university and the paper lists a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), BHF (British Heart Foundation), WT (Wellcome Trust), or CRUK (Cancer Research UK) funding source. This arrangement is valid for any submission after 1 January 2023 (receipt of electronic manuscript files).
	Corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Potsdam The institutional agreement with the Potsdam University Library covers papers with article processing charges up to €2,000 (gross), if the corresponding author is affiliated to the University of Potsdam. If APCs exceed €2,000 gross (€1,680 net), University of Potsdam will not cover any of the costs. Please note: If the author has not submitted an application for the University of Potsdam's open-access publication fund or if the application is not accepted, the author will receive an invoice from the faculty later on.

Other support schemes

In the following we list some examples for open access support schemes. However, the list is by non means complete.

	Projects funded by the DFG The German Research Foundation DFG supports publication charges with €750 per year. This support can also be accumulated over the 3-year period of funding. Please see DFG's FAQs on open access for further information.
	Projects funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 is the EU Research and Innovation programme. All projects receiving Horizon 2020 funding will have the obligation to make sure any peer-reviewed journal article they publish is openly accessible, free of charge.
	Projects funded by the FWF The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria's central funding organization for basic research. The FWF provides grants to cover the costs of peer-reviewed publications that result from projects supported by the FWF, up to a limit of 3 years after conclusion of the project. Leaders and collaborators of all FWF projects of any discipline are the target group of this support.
	Other universities providing open access funds for their researchers The following is a list of universities that are supported by the DFG Programme "Open Access Publizieren" and therefore provide funds for open-access publications. Please check whether your institution supports the costs for open-access publishing. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/M. Hochschule Darmstadt Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaft München Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg Philipps Universität Marburg Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg TH Deggendorf Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover TU Chemnitz TU Dortmund TU Dresden TU Hamburg Harburg TU Ilmenau TU Kaiserslautern Universität Duisburg-Essen Universität Kassel Universität Konstanz Universität Leipzig Universität Regensburg Universität Rostock Universität Siegen Universität Trier Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster