One Nation One Subscription: A Transformative Framework for Equitable and Sustainable Open Science in the Global South

Abstract

India’s ambitious “One Nation One Subscription” (ONOS) initiative marks a significant departure from traditional models of scholarly content access. By negotiating centralized, nationwide licenses for academic journals and databases, ONOS seeks to eliminate institutional disparities and democratize access to scientific knowledge across the country’s diverse educational and research landscape. This inclusive approach, which guarantees access irrespective of institutional capacity or geographic location, offers a compelling model for other nations in the Global South aiming to foster equitable participation in global scholarly communication. This paper conceptualizes ONOS not merely as a procurement strategy, but as a foundational component of a broader, more inclusive Open Science ecosystem. It proposes a strategic evolution of ONOS into a hybrid model that integrates national licensing with open-access publishing mandates, localized language support, and sustained investment in community governed open infrastructure—such as institutional repositories, digital libraries, and scholar-led journals. The study critically examines the ways in which ONOS addresses systemic barriers in the current knowledge economy, including high subscription costs, regional inequities in access, and the marginalization of non-elite institutions. It also explores potential policy trajectories for embedding ONOS within a national framework for Open Science governance, focusing on sustainable funding models, collaborative licensing mechanisms, and scalable digital platforms. By presenting ONOS as a case study in public investment for knowledge equity, this paper underscores its relevance as both an immediate remedy for access asymmetries and a strategic lever for long-term systemic transformation. In doing so, it highlights India’s potential to contribute not only as a beneficiary of global open access movements, but as a proactive architect of a more equitable, sustainable, and internationally interoperable Open Science future—aligned with the broader vision of “Uniting Knowledge – Building the Future.”