Springer and Simula join forces to provide free eBooks
New open access book series Simula SpringerBriefs on Computing introduces essentials of computing science
London | Heidelberg, 10 December 2014
Springer and Simula have launched a new book series, Simula SpringerBriefs on Computing, which aims to provide introductions to select research in computing. The series presents both a state-of-the-art disciplinary overview and raises essential critical questions in the field. Published by SpringerOpen, all Simula SpringerBriefs on Computing are open access, allowing for faster sharing and wider dissemination of knowledge. Under this agreement and model, authors also retain copyright.
Simula Research Laboratory is a leading Norwegian research organisaton which specializes in computing. The book series will provide introductory volumes on the main topics within Simula’s expertise, including communications technology, software engineering and scientific computing.
By publishing the Simula SpringerBriefs on Computing, Simula Research Laboratory acts on its mandate of emphasizing research education. The Norwegian Minister of Research and Education, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, said, “I welcome this new innovative series of compact books introducing the essentials of computing science, and I look forward to see it come to fruition. In particular, I embrace the use of the open access publishing opportunities, and I appreciate its importance in communicating knowledge throughout the world. I wish Simula and Springer all the best in their joint effort to improve the way science is presented. Publishing is undergoing extreme changes and new, pioneering solutions are indeed needed.”
Members of the editorial board will be asked to solicit new projects, and every volume will be followed closely by one of the editors. Books in this series are published only by invitation from a member of the editorial board.
As a concise, yet in-depth introduction to a topic, each volume will aim to provide a sufficient introduction to, and overview of, a narrow topic so that new researchers entering the subject area can quickly get up to speed. Readers will also be able to glean important insights into cutting-edge issues, including a discussion of open problems.
Aslak Tveito, Managing Director of Simula Research Laboratory, is familiar with the challenges of finding the right introductory material for narrow research fields. Tveito remarked, “This series will provide comprehensible introductions to active research fields in computing sciences. Such information must often be collected from numerous and diverse sources, which is often time consuming and exasperating. The books in this series will provide a fresh look at and a critical view of research fields, and hopefully ease the entrance into a field for new researchers. I look forward to working on the project, and I am grateful for the very valuable collaboration with Springer.”
Martin Peters, Executive Editor for Mathematics and Computational Science and Engineering at Springer, commented, “We are very happy to start this new book series with our long-standing partner Simula. We expect that it will become a successful prototype of how to publish open access books given the competence of the scientists at Simula and their collaborators.”
Simula Research Laboratory Dedicated to tackling scientific challenges with long-term impact and of genuine importance to real life, Simula Research Laboratory (Simula) offers an environment that emphasises and promotes basic re¬search. At the same time, they are deeply involved in research education and application-driven innova¬tion and commercialisation. Scientifically, Simula is focusing on communication systems, software engineering and scientific computing.
Simula was established as a non-profit, limited company in 2001, and is fully owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. Its research is funded through competitive grants from national funding agencies and the EC, research contracts with industry, and a basic allowance from the state. Simula’s operations are conducted in a seamless integration with the two subsidiaries Simula School of Research and Innovation and Simula Innovation.
Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) 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 8,400 new books in 2013, 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 2013, Springer Science+Business Media generated sales of approximately EUR 943 million. The group employs more than 8,000 individuals across the globe.