The acquisition of open access (OA) science publisher BioMed Central by the world’s second largest STM publisher Springer could mark the transformation of OA into a mainstream publishing model.

BioMed Central publisher Matthew Cockerill said: “Springer is absolutely committed to maintaining BioMed Central’s policy of full open access to all research, and this acquisition is great news for open access.”

Springer CEO Derk Haank said: “This acquisition reinforces the fact that we see open access publishing as a sustainable part of STM publishing, and not an ideological crusade.”

Former chief executive of the BMJ Publishing Group Richard Smith said: “At the moment, fewer than 10% of scientific articles are published open access, but Springer’s acquisition may bring us to the tipping point where OA publishing will be the norm.”

The acquisition was generally welcomed among the OA community.

Open access evangelist Peter Suber said: “It is clear from Derk Haank’s statement that Springer wants BMC because it’s OA, not despite it. The question now is, will BMC have more of an effect on the way that commercial giant Springer publishes, or vice versa?”

Cockerill said BioMed Central would stay an autonomous operating unit and that it was “business as usual” for BioMed Central staff and journals.

“BioMed Central will continue to set its own article processing charges and there are no plans to increase charges as a result of the acquisition,” he said.