Funding is one of the key enablers of the research lifecycle, but has been one of the hardest parts of the scholarly record to identify, describe and connect. This is slowly changing as we have recently reached a very exciting milestone for Crossref’s Grant Linking System (GLS). What makes it remarkable is not only the numbers reached, but where the data comes from. Research funders, who joined Crossref as members, have actively contributed more than 200,000 grants to the Research Nexus (Figure 1).
We are pleased to announce the re-launch of the Crossref Service Providers Program. From today, we are accepting applications from organisations providing tools for metadata registration to Crossref members. Participation in this program is free and the application involves an accreditation process to determine eligibility and the appropriate participation tier.
As a membership organisation, Crossref supports its members to provide rich and complete metadata which facilitates integrity judgements, increases discoverability, linking among scholarly objects and activities, and improves transparency. Service providers are key collaborators in this work because they enable our members to adopt better metadata practices.
Three years ago, we asked our members what they needed from Crossref’s metadata. We received confirmation that we were going in the right direction, as well as some new ideas to explore. This helped set the course for our metadata development work since then, and continues to guide where we’re headed next.
For many years, PubPub has made it possible for communities to assign DOIs to a range of outputs and component Pubs. Knowledge Futures and Crossref are building together to test the limits of what’s possible for high-volume, high-granularity DOI management. That means fast prototypes, real building, and learning through the process.
In order to meet our mission of a truly global and connected research ecosystem, it is important to ensure that participation in Crossref and all our services and metadata is accessible to everyone involved in documenting scholarly progress.
Crossref membership is open to all organisations that produce scholarly and professional materials and content. But cost and technical capabilities can be barriers to joining, and where that’s the case, we aim to reduce these in a number of ways. These include: partnering with organisations such as the Public Knowledge Project to support plugins for OJS users; by developing our Sponsor program where members are supported by an organisation that aggregates our fees and provides local language and technical support.
The GEM Program: improving membership equitability and accessibility
The Global Equitable Membership (GEM) program offers relief from membership and content registration fees for members in the least economically-advantaged countries in the world. Members in GEM-eligible countries do not pay Crossref membership or content registration fees. As we move toward realizing the vision of a connected Research Nexus, building a network for the global community must include input from the entire community.
Background
For many years prior to GEM we had waived content registration fees via specific Sponsor agreements for members in some countries and accounted for that as “donated deposits” under a “fee assistance” program. Starting in January 2023, this was expanded to be consistent across the world and to encompass the annual membership fee, introduced as the GEM Program.
In January 2026, an additional 18 countries were added to the eligibility list. We have welcomed around 1000 members to the open research linking layer through Crossref since the program’s inception.
We will review these lists and the eligibility criteria annually and note any changes here. We will notify members whose country moves on or off the GEM Program of any upcoming fees (or the removal of fees) so they can plan and budget.
We ask for both mailing and billing addresses on our membership application form and both of these need to be in an eligible country (not necessarily the same one) in order to qualify.
GEM program specifics
Here are the details of what is waived and what is not, along with some answers to some frequently answered questions.
Q: Which fees are waived and which are not?
The annual membership fee is waived (irrespective of the member’s organisational size or revenue; it’s the country that determines the eligibility). All content registration fees are also waived for all record types. Participation in other paid services, such as Similarity Check and Metadata Plus, will be charged at the usual fees. Check out our standard fees to learn how much eligible members are saving. You can find out more about invoicing for GEM-eligible members on our Billing FAQs page
Q: Can GEM program members also work with a Sponsor?
The GEM program is open to independent members as well as members joining via a Sponsor. However, note that sponsors may only work with members who would normally be categorized in the lowest membership fee tier. Please also note that Sponsors may charge for their services (which include local language, technical, and other support), so it is important to discuss the terms with the Sponsor. Crossref will be actively seeking organisations to become Sponsors in GEM countries to build out support in these countries.
Join as a member
Find out more about your benefits and obligations as a member and apply today. If your mailing and billing adresses are in a GEM country you will automatically be exempt from membership and content registration fees.
Find out more about your benefits and obligations as a member and apply today. If your mailing and billing adresses are in a GEM country you will automatically be exempt from membership and content registration fees.