UBC Scholarly Publication Fund

The UBC Scholarly Publication Fund is established under the auspices of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation in order to assist UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan faculty members with the costs of scholarly publication.

Subventions are partial subsidies toward the cost of publishing scholarly works, and are commonly requested by publishers and academic presses. Support for other publication costs can enhance the work through use of images, copyrighted materials, or special production elements. Researchers often report difficulty securing appropriate funding sources for such costs, particularly early career faculty in the humanities and social sciences.

This new fund is intended to address such needs and support publications directly aligned with SSHRC’s General Guidelines for Eligibility of Subject Matter for SSHRC and Eligibility of Applications Related to Health.

This fund is a 3-year pilot program administered by the UBC Library with funding support from the Vice-President, Research & Innovation and the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver through the Academic Excellence Funds.  Approximately $75,000 is available annually.

NB: this fund does not support payment of open access charges or article processing charges. A separate open access fund is in development, expected in mid-2020.

Applicants can request funding for one or both of the following costs involved in publishing a work:  1) subventions and 2) other publication costs. Where both types of costs are requested, a separate application for each is required.

• Priority will be given to scholarly works where subventions are required for publication, that is, where the publisher’s contract explicitly requests or requires an author subvention in order for the book to be published.  Up to $5,000 is available for direct subvention support.
• Funding may also be requested for other publication costs to cover the costs of adding material or engaging services that would not otherwise be available. This could include professional indexing, copyright clearance/permissions, preparation of camera-ready text or graphics, obtaining translations or illustrations, or preparation and reproduction of materials such as maps that would enhance the publication. Up to $2,000 is available for other publication charges.

Exclusions. This fund is intended to support direct costs of publishing scholarly works.  It does not support:

• travel, marketing or advertising, equipment, supplies, purchase of copies
• commercially-oriented works, textbooks, or trade publications
• faculty members’ or assistants’ time writing or conducting research
• article processing charges (APCs) or cost of publishing in open access books and journals.
  

Groups not eligible to apply include term, visiting, honorary and emeritus faculty; post-doctoral fellows, research associates and lecturers; staff members; and students.

In the case of UBC co-authorship, normally the primary author should seek funds for publication.  However, should there be reasons for a co-author to apply, the adjudication committee will consider an application, with a rationale given in the section of the application describing the importance of the work to research and career development.

Additional Conditions

The following conditions accompany the award and must be accepted by the recipient:

• Support for Subventions and Other Publication Costs will be paid to a grant account in the faculty member’s name.  The faculty member will make payments to the publisher or others (copyright holder, indexer, etc.) for subvention or other costs.  Costs incurred one year prior to or one year following the award date are eligible for payment from the fund.
• The faculty member agrees that the funds will be returned to the University if the work is not published for any reason, within 30 days of receiving such notification.
• The faculty member agrees to acknowledge support from this fund within the publication, such as on the CIP page or in the acknowledgements.

Support will depend upon funding availability and is not guaranteed.

Application Deadlines

Applications are adjudicated four times yearly.  Application deadlines are 4:00pm (Pacific Time) October 15, December 15, March 15, and June 15.  Late applications will not be considered, but will enter the pool for the next round unless the applicant requests withdrawal of the application.  Normally applicants will receive responses within 4-5 weeks following these deadlines.

How to Apply

Complete this online APPLICATION  FORM with the following required documents attached:

1. Copy of the publisher contract or notice of acceptance for the work;
2. Budget summary. For a book subvention, a budget from the publisher showing subvention amount; for other publishing costs, an itemized cost breakdown prepared by the publisher or the applicant;
3. Research Project Information Form signed by the applicant, the department/unit Head, and the Dean where required.  The Funding Source is the “VPRI” and Funding Program “UBC Scholarly Publication Fund.” More information about completing the RPIF is available here.