How Science Addresses Developing World Issues

Introduction Dr Matthew Cockerill - BioMed Central Knowledge as a weapon in the struggle against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa Dr Colin Sutherland - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine The role of the media in tackling disease in the developing world Mr David Dickson - SciDev.Net Building a generation of future environmentalists in developing countries Mr Jib Hagan - CARE Computers for Developing Countries How open access research has been adopted in the developing world Ms Barbara Kirsop - Electronic Publishing Trust for Development Outline of session

Introduction Dr Matthew Cockerill - BioMed Central

Knowledge as a weapon in the struggle against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa Dr Colin Sutherland - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The role of the media in tackling disease in the developing world Mr David Dickson - SciDev.Net

Building a generation of future environmentalists in developing countries Mr Jib Hagan - CARE Computers for Developing Countries

How open access research has been adopted in the developing world Ms Barbara Kirsop - Electronic Publishing Trust for Development

Sharing knowledge

Knowledge is power

“ Many developing countries remain poor largely because they let the Industrial Revolution pass them by. They can ill afford to miss the information technology revolution.” M. S. Swaminathan, “Father of the Green Revolution”

“ Many developing countries remain poor largely because they let the Industrial Revolution pass them by. They can ill afford to miss the information technology revolution.”

M. S. Swaminathan, “Father of the Green Revolution”

Digital divide or digital bridge?

Mobile phones in Africa Source: African Mobile Factbook 2008

SMS messaging for trading

Increasing use of PDAs and mobile phone networks for data gathering

The founders of 03b Networks recently helped pioneer the first commercial 3G mobile and fibre-to-the-home networks in Rwanda The company said the system will enable the spread of locally generated content and e-learning, encouraging social and economic growth in the developing world. It aims to tap into booming mobile phone usage in the developing world

In what areas can increased access to knowledge help?

UN Millenium Development Goals Reduce child mortality,Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development

Reduce child mortality,Improve maternal health

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Ensure environmental sustainability

Develop a global partnership for development

Who needs access to the results of research? Public Professionals Researchers

What is open access publishing? Traditional journals take ownership of the research provide access to subscribers only Open access journals have no subscription barriers take advantage of the economics of the internet to allow universal access research is openly licensed to allow reuse

Traditional journals

take ownership of the research

provide access to subscribers only

Open access journals

have no subscription barriers

take advantage of the economics of the internet to allow universal access

research is openly licensed to allow reuse

Who pays? Open access journals do have costs Publication fee is a very small fraction of the cost of doing research Most open access publishers, including BioMed Central, give waivers to developing countries In other cases, open access journals have central support, so no charges for authors or readers

Open access journals do have costs

Publication fee is a very small fraction of the cost of doing research

Most open access publishers, including BioMed Central, give waivers to developing countries

In other cases, open access journals have central support, so no charges for authors or readers

About BioMed Central Pioneer of open access model Launched first journals in 2000 Now publish >180 OA titles >40,000 peer-reviewed OA articles published All research articles published under Creative Commons licence. Reuse and redistribution is encouraged.

Pioneer of open access model

Launched first journals in 2000

Now publish >180 OA titles

>40,000 peer-reviewed OA articles published

All research articles published under Creative Commons licence. Reuse and redistribution is encouraged.

Research on global health issues is expanding Resources channeled into research on developing world health issues have increased significantly in recent years A direct and an indirect result of philanthropic initiatives

Resources channeled into research on developing world health issues have increased significantly in recent years

A direct and an indirect result of philanthropic initiatives

Why use is the research if the people it is most relevant to don’t have access?

US National Institutes of Health Howard Hughes Medical Institute Wellcome Trust Medical Research Council European Research Council EC Seventh Framework Program Funders are now requiring open access

US National Institutes of Health

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Wellcome Trust

Medical Research Council

European Research Council

EC Seventh Framework Program

Open Access in practice

Repositories of open content

Open Access journals

Malaria Journal home page

A highly accessed Malaria Journal article 10,000+ downloads 22 citations

Where are papers on malaria published ?

How accessible is malaria research as a whole? Looking at the biomedical literature, around 9% of articles are immediately “open access” 18 months ago it was 6% For malaria research it has been rapidly increasing and is now 27%!

Looking at the biomedical literature, around 9% of articles are immediately “open access”

18 months ago it was 6%

For malaria research it has been rapidly increasing and is now 27%!

Other tropical diseases….

The latest open access research on global health issues

A knowledge commons

Malaria Journal’s author-base is geographically diverse

Local journals are going global via Open Access

Stories from the developing world

The benefits of open access for the developing world

Zambia

Nigeria

The Gambia