Springer Nature’s charitable contributions — made possible by authors like you

Author: Christabell Ndive

By choosing to publish with Springer Nature, authors not only advance scientific knowledge but also support a range of initiatives that promote global education, sustainability, and health. The research they publish here helps bridge the knowledge gap in under-resourced regions, while also funding scholarships and grants for emerging scientists. As a scholarly community, together, we are fostering a more equitable and sustainable world.

That starts — but does not end — with the conduct of overall daily business: From actively advocating for the transition to open access (OA) to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to pledging to carbon neutrality — all of which you can read about in the most recent Sustainable Business Report.

But more specifically. In 2023, Springer Nature proudly donated nearly €900K in donations and sponsorships to charities and other organisations that share the company’s — and our communities’ — values. That’s in addition to in-kind donations of books, equipment, and donated time.

How Springer Nature Gives Back

At the most fundamental level, a company is its people, and many of Springer Nature’s employees are former researchers themselves. Consequently, this means looking for ways to help support research, researchers, and the goals researchers strive to reach, and to give back in ways that align with those values and goals.

This charitable giving includes strategic donations that Springer Nature’s charity committee reviews, as well as donations that the company’s employees suggest and select, with the following aims in mind:

• Enable access to equitable quality education and science
• Support the UN SDGs
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our communities
• Work with causes of interest and value to Springer Nature’s colleagues, editors, authors, customers, and other partners. 

A short list of some of the supported charities

• In2ScienceUK supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to grow into part of the next generation of scientists. To help support In2ScienceUK, Springer Nature sponsored bursaries for six research students. These six Springer Nature Research Scholars participated in a free, year-long programme including PhD-access workshops, subject specific mentoring, away days, and a company funded eight-week research placement at top institutions. 
• Diversity in Cancer Research. With the aim of nurturing a diverse talent pipeline for research, and improving social mobility, in 2023 Springer Nature supported 10 participants in the American Cancer Society’s Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) internship programme. The DICR interns spent 10 weeks working on hands-on research, mentored by accomplished investigators.  This donation follows naturally on from supporting organisations like In2ScienceUK.Ellie Daniels, the Senior Vice President at DICR, said:

“With this donation, we can get closer to our goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority cancer researchers. Diversity in science is critical because it invigorates problem solving, drives innovation and better equips the scientific community to address inequities that exist in cancer prevention, treatment and care. We could not do this without the help of partners like Springer Nature.”

• Also in 2023, Springer Nature launched an annual Researcher in Residence programme to expand opportunities in its own industry — scholarly publishing. Now in its second year, this initiative consists of support for two early career researchers who are either from communities under-represented in the industry or unable to continue their work due to risk in circumstances such as conflict. In turn, Springer Nature teams gain insights into the experiences of active researchers; bridging the gap between authors and publishers, while also expanding opportunities. For the initial pilot, the company reserved both slots for Ukrainian researchers active in the UK or Germany. The annual capstone to the Researcher in Residence program is a panel discussion on bridging the gap in under-resourced regions.  

Focusing on authors: Charities aiding access to research

• Research4Life exists to cultivate an inclusive, diverse, and equitable scholarly communications environment which enables researchers from lower-income countries to address societal changes. The concept is simple: Research in health, agriculture and the environment is better informed when based on the most recent, high quality and relevant scientific knowledge. Through Research4Life, Springer Nature offers free online access to all its journals to researchers operating in institutions in eligible countries.
• Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organisations, and private foundations established in 1971 to disseminate the knowledge of agricultural science to benefit developing countries. The CGIAR’s Library and Information Services Consortium (CG-LISC) is a collaboration of CGIAR’s information managers and librarians driven by the constant change of information needs of end-users and developments in information and communication technology (ICT), accompanied by limited financial and human resources. CGIAR cooperates with Springer Nature by offering “online access” to a topical list of journals to users in most of their regional offices.

Made possible by authors like you

None of these activities could be possible without the contributions of the researchers who choose to publish with Springer Nature. And because no company is anything more than the sum total of its people, these donations and activities reflect the values of the people who work at Springer Nature.

Explore more about how Springer Nature is taking responsibility.