Springer is expanding its activities in South Korea by signing new agreements with the renowned Korea Nano Technology Research Society (KoNTRS) for a new open access journal and KAIST Press for a new book series.
Starting in January 2014, Springer and the Korea Nano Technology Research Society will partner to publish the new open access journal Nano Convergence. International and interdisciplinary in scope, the peer-reviewed journal will offer express review and publication as well as open access, enabling all research results to be freely read online. Nano Convergence will include papers on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, covering basic nanoscience as well as applications of nanotechnology and their converging technological areas.
Dr. Sang Hee Suh, President of the Korea Nanotechnology Research Society (KoNTRS), said: "Nanotechnology and nanoscience will enable next-generation devices to be integrated with each other and other existing technologies. Therefore, convergence based on nanotechnology and nanoscience will become a key technical issue for the future. Nano Convergence will provide immediate, worldwide, and barrier-free access to the full text of research papers. Springer is the best publisher to satisfy our requirements."
Springer is also expanding its book portfolio in Korea. Under the title KAIST Research Series, Springer and KAIST Press will co-publish about ten books a year from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea's first graduate school specializing in science and engineering education and research. The first books will be available in 2014.
Mr. Si Kyoung Roh, Publishing Manager at KAIST Press, said: "Under the proposed agreement with Springer, KAIST's outstanding research achievements will be widely disseminated among researchers abroad. The agreement is also expected to provide significant momentum for KAIST researchers to publish their research results with a global publisher, contributing to building an international network. In particular, the agreement offers students an opportunity to publish their research with the support of Springer."
Mark de Jongh, Senior Publishing Editor and coordinator of the Springer publishing program in Korea, said, "We are very enthusiastic about our growing activities in journal and book publishing in South Korea. This country is seen as one of the leaders in cutting-edge developments. The new book series and open access journal will be a valuable addition to Springer's impressive Korean publishing program." Springer currently co-publishes 43 Korean society journals and 50 new book titles from Korean authors per year.
The Korea Nano Technology Research Society (KoNTRS) is the leading organization of Korean nanotechnology researchers. It was established in 2004 and is financially supported by the Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
Established by the government in 1971, KAIST is committed to becoming one of the world's leading universities specializing in science and technology with a vision to create knowledge for human society. KAIST Press publishes and disseminates KAIST's outstanding research achievements and produces books to popularize science and technology.
Springer Science+Business Media is a leading global scientific, technical and medical publisher, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content via innovative information products and services. Springer is also a trusted local-language publisher in Europe – especially in Germany and the Netherlands – primarily for physicians and professionals working in healthcare and road safety education. Springer published roughly 2,200 English-language journals and more than 8,000 new books in 2012, and the group is home to the world's largest STM eBook collection, as well as the most comprehensive portfolio of open access journals. In 2012, Springer Science+Business Media S.A. generated sales of approximately EUR 981 million. The group employs more than 7,000 individuals across the globe.