Edtech startup Kopernio acquired by Clarivate Analytics

Kopernio, an edtech platform for accessing academic journals, has been acquired by Clarivate Analytics, a research analytics software company, for an undisclosed amount

Kopernio is an AI-powered platform for academics, students, and researchers to search available research papers online from major publishers and open source publishers. The company was cofounded last year as a means to simplify journal access legally and reduce the use of pirate sites like Sci-Hub.

The UK-based company told tech.eu last year that it was in the midst of seeking funding but was since approached by Clarivate Analytics about an acquisition.

Clarivate Analytics provides subscription-based services in areas like research and patent analytics. It was previously a branch of Thomas Reuters before being spun out as its own company in 2016.

Cofounder Jan Reichelt will join Clarivate as managing director for its Web of Science research discovery product and fellow cofounder Ben Kaube will continue to oversee Kopernio as managing director under the Clarivate banner.

“The global scale as well as the publisher-neutral position of Clarivate Analytics will allow us to quickly scale Kopernio and finally help solve one of the most frustrating and time-consuming research problems today,” said Reichelt.

“It’s amazing to get another opportunity to help advance the technologies that support researchers in their daily work,” he continued. “Our partnership with Clarivate will allow us to develop new features that will be available to ten million researchers and scientists worldwide and in addition will provide valuable support and insights for publishers and academic institutions too.”

The acquisition will provide Kopernio with the tools it needs to scale, said Annette Thomas, CEO of Clarivate’s Scientific & Academic Research division.

Combining Kopernio’s features with the existing Web of Science network will “significantly increase access to research articles and provide novel solutions to the problems in research across the ecosystem,” she said.

“It further establishes our commitment to develop world-class innovative products to address critical challenges in one of the most important fields our society relies on: science and research.”