CSIRO Publishing

CSIRO Publishing is the publishing division of CSIRO, Australia's national scientific research agency. It produces peer-reviewed scientific journals on the ConnectSci platform, scholarly books across ten subject areas, eBooks, and the ECOS magazine for academic institutions, researchers, and general readers globally.

Company typePrivate
Founded1996
HeadquartersClayton, VIC, Australia
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What CSIRO Publishing does

CSIRO Publishing is the publishing division of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Australia's national scientific research agency, headquartered in Clayton, Victoria. Operating since 1996, it produces peer-reviewed scientific journals, scholarly books across ten subject areas, eBooks, and the long-running ECOS magazine (in print since 1974). The division is funded as part of Australia's national science infrastructure and is not separately listed or equity-financed.

The core technical asset is the ConnectSci platform, launched in 2025, which hosts the peer-reviewed journals, ConnectSci News, email alerts, and digital content distribution. Trade book distribution is handled primarily through NewSouth Books in Australia and CABI for international markets, with digital editions available via major eRetailers including ebooks.com, Kobo, Google Books, and Amazon. The division employs 11-50 staff, indicative of a focused editorial and operations team rather than a large commercial publishing house.

Revenue is generated from three streams: book sales (physical and eBook retail), institutional and consortium journal subscriptions, and Open Access publication fees. Pricing on the consumer side spans AU$24.95 to AU$160 per title, with gift vouchers offered at AU$25, AU$50, and AU$100 denominations. On the institutional side, subscriptions are sold to universities, research libraries, and consortia, with access also extended through the Research4Life programme to developing-country institutions. A new dedicated books website is in development and expected to launch in September 2026, signalling ongoing investment in direct-to-consumer and digital channels.

CSIRO Publishing firmographics

Firmographics

Name: CSIRO Publishing
Legal name: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Website: https://publish.csiro.au
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1996
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: CSIRO Publishing is the publishing division of CSIRO, Australia's national scientific research agency. It produces peer-reviewed scientific journals on the ConnectSci platform, scholarly books across ten subject areas, eBooks, and the ECOS magazine for academic institutions, researchers, and general readers globally.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

CSIRO Publishing industry classification

Industry

Product category: Academic Publishing
NAICS: Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (513120), Other Publishers (51319)
SIC: Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
akta.pro primary industry: Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts) (MPAJABAI)
akta.pro secondary industry: Engineering & Technical Reference Publishing (Handbooks, Specifications) (MPAJACAG)

Keywords

Scientific publishing
Peer-reviewed journals
Academic books
Open access publishing
Scientific content distribution

Where CSIRO Publishing is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Clayton, VIC
HQ country: Australia
HQ region: Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

CSIRO Publishing business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Book Sales: Sale of scientific and educational books in print and ebook formats through website, distribution partners, and eRetailers including ebooks.com, Kobo, Google Books, and Amazon
Journal Subscriptions: Subscription access to peer-reviewed scientific journals hosted on ConnectSci platform, with institutional consortium licences available
Open Access Fees: Gold Open Access publication fees under Creative Commons licences for journal papers

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Book prices vary by title and format
Other	Pay-as-you-go	Gift Vouchers
Subscription	Annual	Journal Subscriptions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

CSIRO Publishing product offering

Product offering

Core offering

CSIRO Publishing is the publishing division of CSIRO (Australia's national scientific research agency). It publishes and sells peer-reviewed scientific journals through its ConnectSci platform, scientific and educational books across 10 subject areas in print and ebook formats, and operates the ConnectSci News science news service and ECOS sustainability magazine. It offers both subscription-based journal access for institutions (including consortium licences) and direct sales of books to consumers through its website, distribution partner NewSouth Books, and eRetailers.

Product overview

CSIRO Publishing is a science publishing company offering books, journals, and digital content across scientific disciplines. The portfolio includes the ConnectSci Platform (core platform hosting peer-reviewed journals and ConnectSci News), the Books catalog covering 10 subject areas (Animals, Built Environment, Food & Agriculture, Gardening & Horticulture, Marine & Freshwater, Natural Environment, Physical Sciences, Plants & Fungi, Science in Society, and Children), peer-reviewed Journals, eBooks distributed through multiple retailers, ECOS Magazine, and Email Alert services. The company is undergoing a website upgrade with purchases redirected to distribution partner NewSouth Books.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

ConnectSci Platform A comprehensive science publishing platform hosting CSIRO Publishing's peer-reviewed journals and the ConnectSci News service, providing access to trusted scientific content for researchers and institutions.
Scientific Books Scientific and educational books across diverse subject areas including animals, built environment, food and agriculture, gardening and horticulture, marine and freshwater, natural environment, physical sciences, plants and fungi, science in society, and children. Available in print and ebook formats.
Peer-Reviewed Journals Peer-reviewed scientific journals covering health, biology, environmental sciences, and physical sciences, hosted on the ConnectSci platform with institutional subscription access and consortium licences available.
ConnectSci News A science news service connecting readers with science that matters, hosted on the ConnectSci platform.
ECOS Magazine Magazine providing scientific insight on sustainability issues covering environment, technology, and agriculture topics, published by CSIRO since 1974.

Companies that use CSIRO Publishing

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

CSIRO Publishing technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

CSIRO Publishing partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

NewSouth BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNewSouth Books serves as CSIRO Publishing's primary distribution partner for book sales. During the website upgrade period, customers are redirected to NewSouth Books where they can select preferred retailers for book purchases.
ECOSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECOS provides scientific insight on sustainability issues since 1974 for CSIRO. Articles from 2015 to present are available on the ECOS CSIRO site covering environment, technology, and agriculture topics.
Research4LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIRO Publishing serves global communities through partnership with Research4Life, expanding access to scientific research in developing countries.
ConnectScicoreTechnology or IntegrationConnectSci is the new journal hosting platform for CSIRO Publishing's peer-reviewed journals. It provides a modern platform for scientific content delivery.
CABIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCABI serves as the international distributor for CSIRO Publishing titles outside Australia and New Zealand for print format purchases.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

CSIRO Publishing competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Springer Nature: One of the largest scientific publishers globally, operating extensive peer-reviewed journal portfolios (Nature, Springer, BMC) and a vast scientific book programme. Represents a much larger incumbent with overlapping open access journal capabilities competing for the same institutional library budgets.
Elsevier: World's largest scientific publisher with the deepest peer-reviewed journal portfolio across environmental, agricultural, and life sciences. Represents the dominant incumbent competing for the same institutional subscription and open access revenue.
Taylor & Francis: Major publisher of peer-reviewed scientific journals and academic books across environmental science, agriculture, and life sciences. Comparable in producing subscription and open access scientific content for institutional customers.
Wiley: Global scientific publisher with hundreds of peer-reviewed journals and a deep scientific book list, including strong environmental and life science coverage. Comparable to CSIRO Publishing in publishing both subscription and open access journals for academic institutions.

Regional players

Melbourne University Publishing: Australian academic and trade publisher based in Melbourne (same city as CSIRO Publishing) with peer-reviewed and scholarly titles. Comparable as an Australian institutional publisher, though with stronger trade and humanities focus.

Emerging players

Pensoft Publishers: Open access scientific publisher specializing in biodiversity, ecology, and environmental science journals. Comparable in mission and open access focus, though operating at smaller scale and with stronger digital-native infrastructure than CSIRO Publishing.

Direct peers

Cambridge University Press: University-affiliated publisher of peer-reviewed scientific journals and academic books across STEM disciplines. Like CSIRO Publishing, it combines a scholarly journal portfolio with a curated scientific book list and open access options, though at materially larger scale.
Oxford University Press: Academic publisher producing peer-reviewed journals and scientific reference books across life sciences, physical sciences, and environmental topics. Comparable in mission and product mix to CSIRO Publishing, with a long-established scholarly reputation and broader international reach.
CABI: Not-for-profit scientific publisher and information service focused on agriculture, environment, and applied life sciences. Listed as CSIRO Publishing's international distribution partner, indicating highly overlapping subject scope and customer base in agricultural and environmental science publishing.
ANU Press: Australian university press publishing scholarly books and journals, particularly in environmental science, Asia-Pacific studies, and policy. Closely comparable in size, mission, and Australian-academic positioning to CSIRO Publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

CSIRO Publishing financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

CSIRO Publishing leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

CSIRO Publishing funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

CSIRO Publishing M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CSIRO Publishing

What does CSIRO Publishing do?

Is CSIRO Publishing a public or private company?

CSIRO Publishing is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was CSIRO Publishing founded?

CSIRO Publishing was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is CSIRO Publishing based?

CSIRO Publishing is headquartered in Clayton, VIC, Australia, in the Oceania region.

How does CSIRO Publishing make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are journal Subscriptions and open Access Fees.

Who are CSIRO Publishing's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Springer Nature, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis and Wiley. Melbourne University Publishing is listed as a regional player. Pensoft Publishers is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, CABI and ANU Press.

Does CSIRO Publishing have an API?

No public API is recorded for CSIRO Publishing.

What industry is CSIRO Publishing in?

CSIRO Publishing's product category is Academic Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAI, Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts), with a secondary code of MPAJACAG, Engineering & Technical Reference Publishing (Handbooks, Specifications). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.