KeAi
KeAi is a Beijing-based open access journal publishing joint venture between Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media (CSPM), publishing 280+ scholarly journals across all scientific disciplines on ScienceDirect, partnered with 90+ research institutions and societies, and generating revenue through Article Processing Charges.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What KeAi does
KeAi is a Beijing-headquartered open access journal publishing service provider operating as a joint venture between Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd (CSPM), two of the world's leading STM publishers whose combined publishing heritage spans nearly 200 years. Founded in its current form in 2013, KeAi has built a portfolio of more than 280 scholarly journals across all major scientific disciplines — Engineering and Technology, Health and Medical Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Multidisciplinary — with 110+ titles indexed in Web of Science and 160+ in Scopus, and eight journals holding No. 1 rankings in their respective Journal Citation Reports disciplines. Two-thirds of the portfolio is partnered with 90+ research institutions, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and major Chinese universities (Peking, Tsinghua, Xi'an Jiaotong, Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Tongji), alongside international society partners such as WASWAC.
The company leverages publishing and technology infrastructure inherited from its parents: all KeAi journals are published fully open access on Elsevier's ScienceDirect platform, which serves 17+ million unique visitors per month; manuscript submission and editorial workflows run on Elsevier's Editorial Manager; and market intelligence is drawn from Scopus and SciVal analytics. Its go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (recruiting editors, authors, and society partners through the established networks of both parents), channel partnerships (the 90+ institutional and society partners that anchor the journal portfolio), and event-driven community engagement (the KeAi Talks webinar series, the Risk Sciences Annual Conference RSAC 2026 at Imperial College London, ICAN 2027 at Adelaide University, the Climate Change Science Conference, and several subject-specific forums). Each journal is supported by a dedicated KeAi publisher providing editorial guidance, indexation management, and marketing support. The company has operating teams in China, the United States, Europe, and India.
KeAi generates revenue primarily through Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by authors to publish open access. Published pricing varies by journal — the Risk Sciences journal charges USD 500 plus taxes per article, with all APCs waived for submissions made before 31 December 2027 — and the portfolio spans a range of price points consistent with a mix of early-stage and established JCR-ranked titles. The end customers are the researchers and authors who submit manuscripts, the academic societies and institutions that co-own and develop the journals, and the global readership that accesses content freely on ScienceDirect. The company is privately held, has not publicly disclosed revenue or funding, and is governed jointly by its two founding publishers.
KeAi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KeAi
- Legal name
- KeAi
- Website
- https://keaipublishing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- KeAi is a Beijing-based open access journal publishing joint venture between Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media (CSPM), publishing 280+ scholarly journals across all scientific disciplines on ScienceDirect, partnered with 90+ research institutions and societies, and generating revenue through Article Processing Charges.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KeAi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Scholarly Journal Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI), Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC)
Keywords
Where KeAi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
KeAi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Article Processing Charges (APCs): KeAi operates an open access publishing model where authors pay Article Processing Charges (APCs) to publish their research openly. For example, the Risk Sciences journal charges USD 500 plus taxes as an open access publication fee, with APCs waived for articles submitted before 31 December 2027.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Risk Sciences journal open access fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
KeAi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KeAi is an open access journal publishing service provider that develops and manages a portfolio of more than 280 scholarly journals across all scientific disciplines, published fully open access on ScienceDirect. The company offers publishing services to academic societies and research institutions including editorial management, marketing support, indexation management, and conference organization, while collecting Article Processing Charges (APCs) from authors.
Product overview
KeAi is an open access journal publishing service provider and joint venture between China Science Publishing & Media Ltd (CSPM) and Elsevier. Since 2013, KeAi has developed a portfolio of more than 280 scholarly journals across all scientific disciplines. The core product is the journal portfolio, organized into six subject collections: Engineering and Technology, Health and Medical Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Multidisciplinary. All journals are published fully open access on ScienceDirect. Supporting services include marketing support (journal promotion, social media, advertising), events and webinars (conferences, the Risk Sciences Annual Conference, Nano TransMed Youth Forum, AEHS Forum series), and publishing support services (editorial assistance, indexation management, strategic portfolio advice). Eight journals hold No. 1 rankings in their corresponding Journal Citation Reports disciplines, and the portfolio has partnerships with over 90 research institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KeAi Journal Portfolio A portfolio of more than 280 open access scholarly journals spanning all scientific disciplines, including Engineering and Technology, Health and Medical Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Multidisciplinary subjects. Journals are hosted on ScienceDirect and many have achieved top rankings in their Journal Citation Reports disciplines.
- Marketing Support Services
- Events and Webinars
- Publishing Support Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 17+ million unique visitors per month through ScienceDirect hosting
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use KeAi
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
KeAi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
KeAi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- ElsevierflagshipElsevier, the world's leading scientific information and analytics company, co-founded KeAi alongside China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. Elsevier contributes nearly 140 years of publishing knowledge, ScienceDirect platform hosting, Editorial Manager submission systems, Scopus and SciVal analytics tools, and global prestige to the joint venture. KeAi leverages these capabilities to publish 280+ open access journals.
- China Science Publishing & Media Ltd (CSPM)flagshipCSPM, China's leading academic publisher, co-founded KeAi alongside Elsevier. CSPM contributes its position as China's high-level, comprehensive, and internationalised media group with science, technology, medicine, and education as core business areas. CSPM brings Chinese research networks, market access, and domestic publishing expertise to the joint venture.
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)coreNSFC is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including NSFC.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)coreCAS is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including CAS.
- Peking UniversitycorePeking University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including Peking University.
- Tsinghua UniversitycoreTsinghua University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management also has a society affiliation with the Risk Sciences journal.
- Xi'an Jiaotong UniversitycoreXi'an Jiaotong University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including Xi'an Jiaotong University.
- Chongqing UniversitycoreChongqing University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including Chongqing University.
- Zhejiang UniversitycoreZhejiang University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including Zhejiang University.
- Tongji UniversitycoreTongji University is one of the over 90 research institutions partnered with KeAi for journal publishing. Two thirds of KeAi journals are partnered with esteemed research institutions including Tongji University.
- World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC)coreWASWAC is the official society affiliation for the International Soil and Water Conservation Research (ISWCR) journal, published by KeAi. WASWAC contributes to the journal's multidisciplinary focus on soil and water conservation research, practice, and policy.
- Tsinghua University School of Economics and ManagementcoreTsinghua SEM is the society affiliation for the Risk Sciences journal published by KeAi. Founded in 1984, Tsinghua SEM leads in talent training, scientific research, and international exchange in China. The partnership brings academic prestige and global standing to the Risk Sciences journal.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
KeAi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wiley: Wiley is a major academic publisher with thousands of journals across disciplines and acquired Hindawi to expand its open access portfolio. It is a broad incumbent comparable in scale, competing with KeAi for institutional society partnerships and high-quality manuscripts.
- BioMed Central (Springer Nature): BioMed Central, part of Springer Nature, is one of the original open access publishers with hundreds of peer-reviewed journals funded by APCs. It is a broad incumbent offering overlapping OA journal services alongside a much larger hybrid and subscription publishing portfolio.
- SAGE Publishing: SAGE Publishing is a major independent academic publisher with hundreds of journals in social sciences, humanities, and STEM, including an expanding open access program. As a broad incumbent, it competes for society journal partnerships and global author submissions in fields where KeAi is active.
- Springer Nature: Springer Nature is one of the world's largest academic publishers with thousands of journals across all disciplines, including a substantial open access portfolio. KeAi's Elsevier-CSPM JV parallels Springer Nature's own structure as a merger of Springer and Nature/Macmillan, making it a broad incumbent comparable in scale and ambition.
- Taylor & Francis: Taylor & Francis publishes over 2,500 journals including a growing open access portfolio. As a broad incumbent in academic publishing, it competes with KeAi for society journal partnerships and offers overlapping capabilities in journal management and global distribution.
Direct peers
- Hindawi: Hindawi (now part of Wiley) operated a large portfolio of APC-funded open access journals across disciplines. It is directly comparable to KeAi in operating model, journal breadth, and APC-based author revenue, though now operating within a much larger publisher.
- MDPI: MDPI is one of the world's largest open access journal publishers, issuing APC-based journals across all scientific disciplines. Like KeAi, MDPI relies heavily on Chinese research output and competes directly for the same global author base with a similar scale of journal portfolio.
- PLOS: PLOS is a pioneering open access scientific publisher with multiple high-impact journals funded via APCs. KeAi and PLOS share the same OA publishing model and target overlapping author segments in life sciences and multidisciplinary research.
- Frontiers Media: Frontiers is a major open access scholarly publisher with hundreds of peer-reviewed journals across scientific disciplines, charging APCs to authors. It directly competes with KeAi for OA journal submissions, editors, and society partnerships.
Regional players
- CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure): CNKI is the dominant Chinese-language academic database and journal publishing platform in China, hosting thousands of Chinese journals. It is comparable to KeAi as a Chinese-rooted academic publishing platform, but operates primarily as a regional distribution and aggregation platform rather than a global OA publisher.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KeAi social profiles
Digital presenceKeAi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KeAi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
KeAi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KeAi M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KeAi
What does KeAi do?
KeAi is an open access journal publishing service provider that develops and manages a portfolio of more than 280 scholarly journals across all scientific disciplines, published fully open access on ScienceDirect. The company offers publishing services to academic societies and research institutions including editorial management, marketing support, indexation management, and conference organization, while collecting Article Processing Charges (APCs) from authors.
Is KeAi a public or private company?
KeAi is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was KeAi founded?
KeAi was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is KeAi based?
KeAi is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does KeAi make money?
One revenue line is on record: article Processing Charges (APCs).
Who are KeAi's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wiley, BioMed Central (Springer Nature), SAGE Publishing, Springer Nature and Taylor & Francis. Direct peers are Hindawi, MDPI, PLOS and Frontiers Media. CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) is listed as a regional player.
Does KeAi have an API?
No public API is recorded for KeAi.
What industry is KeAi in?
KeAi's product category is Scholarly Journal Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAJ, Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs, with a secondary code of MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed). Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2721.