By: Ishfaq Manzoor
India has long held a vision of advancing as a worldwide knowledge leader, a vision that hinges on fostering innovation, research, and development. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been highlighting the vital role that Research and Development (R&D) would play in the country’s growth. He has underscored the importance of research-driven advancement, aligning with broader national goals of becoming self-reliant and fully developed by 2047.
Building on this goal, research has been recognised as a key element of outstanding education and national growth. In a significant move to promote knowledge and research accessibility, the Government of India has launched the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) initiative. Started in January 2025, ONOS provides nationwide access to high-quality journals and international research articles for researchers, students, and faculty across India’s higher education institutions.
The Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre, an autonomous institution under the University Grants Commission (UGC), will coordinate the ONOS subscription services. This centralised platform will allow participating institutions across the country to seamlessly access a vast array of scholarly content. It will also ensure that access remains consistent and equitable, particularly for institutions that might otherwise have limited means to access high-impact research. The Department of Higher Education, Government of India will have a unified portal “One Nation One Subscription“ (https://www.onos.gov.in/) through which the institutions will be able to access the journals. The ANRF will periodically review the usage of One Nation One Subscription and publications of Indian authors of these institutions.
Beginning in 2025, the first phase of ONOS for 2025, 2026, and 2027 has been approved by the government. The program’s use and reach will be increased during this phase, and it will be regularly reviewed to make sure it still serves the needs of researchers and institutions. A greater visibility for Indian research on the international scene will also be promoted by focusing on publishing more Indian writers in these prestigious publications.
The democratisation of access to intellectual research has advanced significantly with ONOS. This program will make high-impact journals and scientific publications accessible to researchers, faculty, and students at government-run institutions that were previously inaccessible because of the exorbitant cost of international subscriptions. A total of 30 major international journal publishers have been included, including the top 4 global publishers i.e. Elsevier, Springer-Nature, Taylor & Francis and Wiley, ensuring that a broad spectrum of academic disciplines is covered.
This initiative is especially significant for researchers and students in smaller towns and cities, as it ensures that the benefits of global knowledge are not limited to institutions in larger urban centres. Nearly 6,400 institutions across the country including Higher Educational Institutions i.e. central and state universities, colleges (including all medical colleges) and central government R&D institutions will benefit from ONOS.
Almost 1.8 crore students, researchers, and academics will have access to these valuable resources, paving the way for interdisciplinary research and innovation across the country.
By offering easy access to international journals, ONOS will enhance the capacity of India’s research community to engage in world-class research, tackle critical national and global challenges, and publish in top-tier journals,. This initiative will also empower researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation.
While India has made significant strides in research and development, global collaboration and access to high-quality scholarly work remain essential to keeping pace with the rapidly evolving academic and scientific landscape. The ONOS initiative aims to integrate India into the global research ecosystem, providing researchers the tools they need to collaborate with global experts and engage with the best international practices.
The broader impact of ONOS goes beyond just access to journals. it is about cultivating a research culture that is globally competitive, innovative, and self-sustained. The potential to contribute and access the wealth of global knowledge will be unparalleled for researchers, especially those in smaller institutions, bridging the gap between India and foreign research groups. This initiative also supports the country’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision by ensuring that academic institutions are well-equipped with the tools necessary for high-level research.
India’s researchers will be empowered to collaborate more effectively on the global stage, participate in critical academic discourse, and publish in international recognized journals. Furthermore, the emphasis on interdisciplinary research will foster. Cross disciplinary creativity and may be result in discoveries that have a big influence on advancement of the country.
Before some Weeks, I came across an opinion by Megha Balani, Executive Director-Balani Group of Companies, wherein she has provided her opinion on the Evolving role of librarians in India in the context of one nation one subscription and she has wrote that the role of librarians in India is undergoing profound transformation. She has also discussed challenges and adaption that I would like to mention and are as: “While ONOS offers immense potential, librarians face challenges such as adapting to new procurement structures, managing increased demand, and aligning institutional needs with national frameworks. Professional development and continuous learning are critical to staying ahead of these shifts. The One Nation One Subscription initiative represents a paradigm shift for academic librarians in India.
By embracing new roles as digital facilitators, research collaborators, and literacy educators, librarians are key to unlocking the full potential of this national policy. Their evolving responsibilities will continue to shape the future of academic research, equitable knowledge access, and collaborative learning in the country. Publishers are also partners and beneficiaries of the ONOS scheme. Their role is essential in ensuring the success of the initiative by providing high-quality content, negotiating sustainable terms, and facilitating access to a vast repository of scholarly resources for the benefit of the Indian research community. For the success of ONOS, it is the duty of publishers to maintain rigorous quality control standards for the content they publish, ensuring the scholarly integrity of the research disseminated through their platforms, incorporating emerging features like search, discovery tools, metrics like impact factor, citations and other social media features”.
Although there will be reduced autonomy of libraries to select resources tailored to their specific institutional needs and that may potentially lead to gaps in niche subject areas , but at the same time One nation One subscription still offers many significant benefits that outweigh the concern to some extent like this initiative will provide to thousands of scholarly contents that might have been very costly for institutions to subscribe individually, the pooling of resources at a national level will reduce the overall cost of these resources and the publishers might offer good deals in collective bargaining. This initiative also promotes equity and standardisation of knowledge and research . The libraries have to spend now less time on managing multiple subscriptions and instead they can focus on enhancing user training, experience, assistance and support in research. There might be concerns about some subjects that are not covered, but the benefits in terms of equity, access and affordability could have a long term positive impact on the learning and research in India.
The ONOS (One Nation One Subscription) initiative provides unmatched access to high-quality international research content, promoting research excellence and global collaboration. One Nation One Subscription is a timely step towards establishing India in the global research ecosystem by bringing ease of doing research to the doorstep of all students, faculty members and researchers in the government institutions.
With accessibility, innovation and inclusivity, at its core, one nation one subscription will empower India’s students, researchers, and educators to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge, both nationally and globally. As India strives to become a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047, initiatives like ONOS will be of immense help and will play a crucial role in fostering a vibrant, self-sustaining, and globally integrated research ecosystem, one that is poised to shape the future of science, technology, and innovation in India and rest of the world.
