All members of the University of Cologne are entitled to apply, provided that they publish as corresponding authors and state the UoC as their primary affiliation.

• Articles in pure open-access journals (so-called gold open-access journals)
• Articles in journals with an open access option (so-called hybrid open access), if a transformation agreement has been concluded with the publisher for this journal. An overview and the conditions of the publishers can be found here: https://ub.uni-koeln.de/forschen-publizieren/publizieren/open-access-finanzieren/unsere-vertraege-mit-wissenschaftsverlagen
• Articles in journals with an open access option (so-called hybrid open access), even outside of transformative agreements.
• The article must be of the type “research” or “review article”.
• The regulation for open access monographs will be published soon. Please contact our colleagues in the monographs department at: monografienoaub.uni-koeln.de

• Non-research articles, e.g. editorials
• Articles in mirror journals
• Articles in predatory journals
• Closed access publications in subscription journals

Please send a short informal application stating the journal and possible third-party funding by email to zeitschriftenoaub.uni-koeln.de.

Authors will not receive invoices for the hybrid open access articles within the transformative agreements (see overview). Invoices will be issued automatically and centrally; this applies in particular to all articles in Project DEAL.

All other open access publications must be submitted to the central invoice office.
 

As the corresponding author, please have the invoices sent as a PDF by email directly from the publisher to the email address: rechnungseingangverw.uni-koeln.de. The following address is to be provided to the publisher:

University of Cologne
Central Invoice Receipt
P.O. Box 41 09 24
50869 Cologne

Cost center: 300102200
 

The supplier must always be informed that, in addition to the correct invoice address, the cost center must be indicated. Only by indicating this information can the direct allocation within the university be made.

Please always indicate the VAT number (tax number) of the university: DE 123486767.

If you have third-party funds that can be used to finance the publication, please indicate this when submitting your application. The third-party research must be indicated in the Funding Acknowledgements in the article.

The central cost coverage runs until December 31, 2025. The “acceptance date” is decisive for the allocation of your publication. The criteria for cost coverage may change on January 1, 2026. We will announce them in good time.

All members of the University of Cologne who publish as corresponding authors and list the UoC as their primary affiliation are eligible to apply.

• Articles in pure open-access journals (so-called gold open-access journals)
• Articles in journals with an open access option (so-called hybrid open access) if a transformative agreement has been concluded with the publisher for this journal. An overview and the publishers' conditions can be found here: https://ub.uni-koeln.de/forschen-publizieren/publizieren/open-access-finanzieren/unsere-vertraege-mit-wissenschaftsverlagen

• Only articles in original open access journals (“golden road”) that apply strict quality assurance procedures (peer review) recognized in the respective subject can be funded. An overview of such journals is provided, for example, by the DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals.
   
• The article must be of the type “research” or “review article”. Other article types, such as conference reports, editorials, articles in anthologies or proceedings, are not funded.
  • Open Access in subscription journals (hybrid or “Open Choice” model) is not subsidized. In some cases, open access is covered by transformative contracts (e.g. Projekt DEAL), so that you can already publish free of charge here. You can find an overview and the respective conditions here.
  • Open access in mirror journals is not subsidised, even if they can be found in the DOAJ. The mirror journal is a name-similar offshoot of a subscription journal and is thus a form of hybrid journal.
     
  • Authors must provide their publications with licenses that ensure the legal security of any subsequent use of the publications. The DFG recommends CC-BY or CC-BY-SA as the standard.
  • Make sure to use your ORCID.
     
  • The financing mechanisms for open access will continue to be developed in the future. High-quality information helps with article evaluations. Please always include your third-party funding in “Funding Acknowledgements” and please adhere to the publication guidelines of the University of Cologne.
  • No bank charges, handling fees or costs for supplemental material will be funded. This means that these will be invoiced in full when the author's own share is settled.

• Non-research articles
• Articles in mirror journals
• Articles in predatory journals
• Articles in journals with an open access option (so-called hybrid journals), if a transformation agreement has NOT been concluded with the publisher for this journal
• Closed publications in subscription journals

• The costs for articles are initially paid in advance from the publication fund.
• After that, the corresponding author's own contribution is booked via internal cost allocation.

• Minimum share: 600 EUR
• Maximum share: 1,500 EUR
• Calculation: 600 EUR minimum share + (1/3 of the total costs (= article fee + VAT) – 600 EUR), capped at 1,500 EUR
• Example:

Please send a short informal request by email to zeitschriftenoaub.uni-koeln.de, stating the journal.

For internal cost allocation purposes, the Faculty of Medicine requires the source of funding (PSP element or finance and cost center). Please note that your application will not be processed without this information.

After the application has been reviewed, you will receive a response with further information from the USB.

Authors will not receive invoices for the hybrid open access articles within the transformative agreements (see overview). Invoices will be issued automatically and centrally; this applies in particular to all articles in Project DEAL.

All other open access publications must be submitted to the central invoice office.
 

As the corresponding author, please have the invoices sent as a PDF by email directly from the publisher to the email address: rechnungseingangverw.uni-koeln.de. The following address is to be provided to the publisher:

University of Cologne
Central Invoice Receipt
P.O. Box 41 09 24
50869 Cologne

Cost center: 300102200
 

The supplier must always be informed that the cost center must be indicated in addition to the correct invoice address. Only by indicating this information can the direct allocation within the university be made.

Please always indicate the VAT number (tax number) of the university: DE 123486767.

Even if your publication is to be paid for 100% by third-party funds, this information must be followed.

If you have access to third-party funds in addition to your own funds that can be used to finance the publication, please indicate this when submitting your application. The invoice can be paid in full or in part from third-party funds. The third-party research must be stated in the Funding Acknowledgements in the article. Please contact the responsible project manager in the third-party funding department (GB Finanzen) to find out the amount for the publication settlement.
For internal cost allocation, the Faculty of Medicine requires the amount available that exceeds the personal contribution, and the PSP element.
Even if your publication is to be financed 100% by third-party funds, we kindly request that you submit the invoice to the University and City Library of Cologne.

The central cost coverage runs until December 31, 2025. The “acceptance date” is decisive for the allocation of your publication. The criteria for cost coverage may change on January 1, 2026. We will announce them in good time.