Preparing and publishing a scientific article almost always involves costs – for translation, editing, formatting, and sometimes the article-processing charge itself. We look at whether universities in Uzbekistan are willing to cover these costs, and what support an academic can count on in this respect.
Who pays for publishing a scientific article?
The cost of publication depends on the journal. Some journals on the HAC List publish articles free of charge. Others, especially open-access journals, charge an article-processing fee.
On top of this come the costs of translation, editing and formatting the material to meet a given journal's requirements. These costs may be borne by the academic themselves, their department, the university, or a grant programme.
There is no single rule in Uzbekistan obliging a university to reimburse these costs in full. The decision rests with each organisation and its own financial policy.
The current regulation of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) on the award of academic degrees requires a PhD candidate to have published at least seven scientific works, including three articles on the HAC List (one of them in a prestigious foreign journal). The requirement for a DSc is higher: at least fifteen works, of which ten must appear on the List, including a minimum of two articles in prestigious foreign journals. The stricter these requirements, the more prominent the question of funding becomes.
Financial autonomy gives a university the right to fund publications
The ability to allocate funds to publishing activity is linked to a university's financial autonomy. Since December 2021, a number of state universities in Uzbekistan have been granted this status, and Presidential Decree No. UP-58 of 10 April 2026 extended their powers further.
A financially autonomous university is entitled to decide for itself:
- how funds from its innovation and other university funds are spent
- the procedure for using its off-budget development fund
- the amount and structure of staff incentive payments based on performance indicators
- how off-budget funds are allocated between different areas
The law does not set aside a specific budget line for compensating publication costs. The decision to cover an academic's expenses in full, in part, or not at all is therefore made independently by each university, based on its own funds and priorities.
Will the 2026 reform increase funding for publications?
From 2027, university funding in Uzbekistan will be tied to a National Rating that assesses, among other things, an institution's scientific and international activity. Decree No. UP-58 also established a Science Financing and Innovation Support Fund – up to 150 billion soums will go towards research clusters at ten selected national research universities.
For now, these measures are aimed primarily at funding universities as institutions rather than directly compensating an individual academic for a publication fee. However, growth in overall science funding may, in time, extend to this kind of support as well.
Grants as an additional way to pay for publication
Besides university funds, part of the cost of publication can be covered by a grant. The Agency for Innovative Development, under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, holds an annual competition each April to fund research projects within state science programmes, with at least half of this funding directed towards priority areas of science.
Such grants generally cover research activity as a whole rather than a single publication in Scopus or Web of Science. Even so, a university or research team is entitled to put part of the allocated funds towards preparing an article for publication – translation, editing, or the processing fee.
How to find out whether a particular university will cover the costs
Since there is no single rule, an accurate answer can only be found in an organisation's internal documents. It is worth:
- Contacting the university's science department or academic secretary.
- Checking with the accounts office whether a budget line exists for publishing activity.
- Reviewing the regulation on the use of the university's innovation and off-budget funds.
- Finding out whether a grant programme run by the Agency for Innovative Development covers such costs.
There is no definitive answer in Uzbekistan to the question of whether a university will cover the cost of publishing an article. It depends on the financial policy of the specific organisation and the off-budget funds available to it. The expansion of universities' financial autonomy in the coming years may increase this kind of support, but for now it remains at the discretion of the institution itself.
Do you need help with publishing a scientific article? The specialists at Scientific Publications will help you choose a journal that meets HAC requirements and your budget, and will support you at every stage of the publication process. To get a free consultation, fill in the form below and our manager will contact you shortly.
