Chest
We negotiate and license the software and online resource agreements you need to support academic research, teaching and learning.
Chest works on behalf of Jisc’s members and customers to negotiate discounted academic licences for commercially available software. It can be used to benefit the entire institution to support academic research, teaching and learning, as well as administrative functions.
Chest software agreements include software from Microsoft and Adobe, in specialist areas such as GIS, statistics and maths, in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, mind mapping and training, and tools for software asset management and security.
You can browse, purchase and manage your subscriptions to all the software licensed via Chest agreements through the Chest website.
“Chest staff are very knowledgeable and dedicated to the needs of their customers. Help and support is readily available and information about deals is clear and relevant”
Claire Grace, head of content and licensing, the Open University
Benefits for institutions
We represent the interests of members and non-members by:
- Engaging with representatives from institutions and sector bodies and international consortia to ensure that we always support research, teaching and learning
- Negotiating the best possible price, terms, and access conditions for licensed software. In 2018/19 Chest agreements saved the academic community nearly £79m in licence fees and efficiency savings
- Support institutions through our dedicated helpdesk providing answers to purchasing and licensing enquiries
- Organising and supporting a range of events and communications that foster knowledge sharing between the academic community and suppliers
“Chest provides good value. Not just on pricing but on T&Cs. They are also an accepted route to market so they save on procurement effort”
Kevin Hopkins, University of Nottingham
Eligibility
This service is an optional service part of the core Jisc subscription for our HE and FE members.
The service is available to other customers including private independent universities and colleges, research organisations and charities.
Get started
Find trusted, value-for-money licences for software and online resources.
ISO certification
This service is included within the scope of our ISO27001 certificate.