FLICKR, ORANGEBROMPTONOver the weekend (September 15), Cornell University Library outlined the membership model through which arXiv, the preprint repository it hosts, will be supported through 2017. Specifically, 174 pledge institutions from 22 countries will supply varied funding contributions. In addition, arXiv also receives $50,000 annually from the Simons Foundation, as well as $75,000 each year from Cornell. At midyear, arXiv projected a total 2013 budget of $788,742.
Many of the 174 pledge institutions also supported the preprint service with funds in 2012 and previous years. But as the Nature News Blog noted, there is a new name on the roster. The European Research Council (ERC) has joined the list this year, pledging to support arXiv with $1,500 for the rest of this year, plus $3,000 per year thereafter. According to Nature, “the ERC sees today’s announcement as further vindication of its support for open access.”
Nature added that arXiv’s organizers wish to expand their operating budget going forward, in order to modernize its server architecture and roll out new features.
