Bangladesh Online Research Network (BORN) www.bdresearch.org Research Information on Bangladesh Now at a Click

Background: Access Situation Infrastructure: Internet connectivity is available across the country [EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, DSL] Access Libraries do not have computerised catalogues Libraries are not online ( except private university libraries) Library resources are not regularly replenished Lack of availability of latest resources Lack of on-demand services www.bdresearch.org

Infrastructure:

Internet connectivity is available across the country [EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, DSL]

Access

Libraries do not have computerised catalogues

Libraries are not online ( except private university libraries)

Library resources are not regularly replenished

Lack of availability of latest resources

Lack of on-demand services

Background: Problems Researchers and policy makers spend huge time in search of required resources[ travel, manual search] Researchers and policy makers spend huge amount of money [ photocopy, travel, stay] Policy makers are not updated with latest developments in specific domain of policy making Teachers and students lack up-to-date reference materials NGO workers talk rhetoric due to lack to easily available resources [ lack of culture of information use] www.bdresearch.org

Researchers and policy makers spend huge time in search of required resources[ travel, manual search]

Researchers and policy makers spend huge amount of money [ photocopy, travel, stay]

Policy makers are not updated with latest developments in specific domain of policy making

Teachers and students lack up-to-date reference materials

NGO workers talk rhetoric due to lack to easily available resources [ lack of culture of information use]

Background: Demand Level 1: Access to online catalogue of libraries Access to abstracts or executive summaries of research publications Level 2: Access to online repositories of resources Access to online repositories of regional and international publications Contact with the authors Information on request [ managing information overload] Access to information on latest releases of research publication Annotated bibliography by theme Level 3 Access to digest of the research publications Participation in discussion on a particular topic/publication www.bdresearch.org

Level 1:

Access to online catalogue of libraries

Access to abstracts or executive summaries of research publications

Level 2:

Access to online repositories of resources

Access to online repositories of regional and international publications

Contact with the authors

Information on request [ managing information overload]

Access to information on latest releases of research publication

Annotated bibliography by theme

Level 3

Access to digest of the research publications

Participation in discussion on a particular topic/publication

Birth of BORN Bangladesh Online Research Network in 2001 with two pronged objectives: Facilitating research on Bangladesh by creating an online warehouse of research information on Bangladesh Serving as a platform to interact for information givers and information seekers BDResearch.org wanted to fill the gap between the source of information and point of its need Official website: www.bdresearch.org www.bdresearch.org

Bangladesh Online Research Network in 2001 with two pronged objectives:

Facilitating research on Bangladesh by creating an online warehouse of research information on Bangladesh

Serving as a platform to interact for information givers and information seekers

BDResearch.org wanted to fill the gap between the source of information and point of its need

Official website: www.bdresearch.org

Initial Tasks Bring in Bangladeshi publishers to share publications with www.bdresearch.org Develop a user-friendly portal with strong back-end administrative part [web 2.0 was not there] Mobilise resources Inform target users www.bdresearch.org

Bring in Bangladeshi publishers to share publications with www.bdresearch.org

Develop a user-friendly portal with strong back-end administrative part [web 2.0 was not there]

Mobilise resources

Inform target users

thousands of publications in different categories free and on payment. Abstract and full text. Easy searching options for the users. Bangladesh Online Research Network (BORN) www.bdresearch.org

BDResearch.org Offers Regularly updated directory of publication of various institutions Papers focused on Bangladesh and South Asia and related to South Asia Resources in two categories: Free On payment by using pre-paid card Strong search engine by author, publisher, theme or key words for research papers Category wise research paper archive to meet the demand of specific group for 82 categories Author’s contact information (By e-mail) Provide information on request; in some cases small research is conducted Online discussion forum CD based content services to specialized organizations CD based e-document service on request Link to other relevant web sites

Regularly updated directory of publication of various institutions

Papers focused on Bangladesh and South Asia and related to South Asia

Resources in two categories:

Free

On payment by using pre-paid card

Strong search engine by author, publisher, theme or key words for research papers

Category wise research paper archive to meet the demand of specific group for 82 categories

Author’s contact information (By e-mail)

Provide information on request; in some cases small research is conducted

Online discussion forum

CD based content services to specialized organizations

CD based e-document service on request

Link to other relevant web sites

Key Characteristics Target Beneficiaries Researchers and Academics Policy-makers Govt. Organizations NGOs & Development Agencies Civil Society Technologist Business community ( national and international) Journalists & Reporters Scope and Focus South Asia, All themes Type of resources Peer-reviewed and general ( breadth is important) Communication Channels Web, email, CD-ROM, occasionally printed Type of intervention Signposting ( mostly, 60%) organise or disseminate that information ( 20%) Repackage(5%) generate new information so getting involved to help users ( 15%) [ through collaboration, www.jeeon.com.bd] www.bdresearch.org

Target Beneficiaries

Researchers and Academics

Policy-makers

Govt. Organizations

NGOs & Development Agencies

Civil Society

Technologist

Business community ( national and international)

Journalists & Reporters

Scope and Focus

South Asia, All themes

Type of resources

Peer-reviewed and general ( breadth is important)

Communication Channels

Web, email, CD-ROM, occasionally printed

Type of intervention

Signposting ( mostly, 60%)

organise or disseminate that information ( 20%)

Repackage(5%)

generate new information so getting involved to help users ( 15%) [ through collaboration, www.jeeon.com.bd]

Example of Institutional Collaboration for posting resources Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) Bichayan, Technohaven Company Ltd, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University Department of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University Khulna University The University Press Limited (UPL) Unnayan Shamunnay ELDIS www.bdresearch.org

Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS)

Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA)

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI)

Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM)

Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP)

Bichayan, Technohaven Company Ltd,

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University

Department of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University

Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University

Khulna University

The University Press Limited (UPL)

Unnayan Shamunnay

ELDIS

Example of Themes From A to Z, such as ~ Agriculture Anthropology Corruption Development Democracy Disaster Management Economics Environment Ergonomics Finance & Banking Globalization Governance Human Rights Information and Communication Law Micro Credit Migration Natural Resources Political Economy Population Poverty Alleviation Regional Cooperation SME Urbanization WTO www.bdresearch.org

From A to Z, such as ~

Agriculture

Anthropology

Corruption

Development

Democracy

Disaster Management

Economics

Environment

Ergonomics

Finance & Banking

Globalization

Governance

Human Rights

Information and Communication

Law

Micro Credit

Migration

Natural Resources

Political Economy

Population

Poverty Alleviation

Regional Cooperation

SME

Urbanization

WTO

Business Model It was clear that financing situation is not encouraging at all Exploration earning scope: Resource sharing institutions [ revenue sharing from online sales] Users Limited success: people are not ready to pay for information Robin Hood Model: Earning from other sources spent for sustaining the portal activities www.bdresearch.org

It was clear that financing situation is not encouraging at all

Exploration earning scope:

Resource sharing institutions [ revenue sharing from online sales]

Users

Limited success: people are not ready to pay for information

Robin Hood Model: Earning from other sources spent for sustaining the portal activities

Pre-paid cards Gold and Silver Pre-paid Cards www.bdresearch.org BORN has added pre-paid card system (first ever in Bangladesh) to sell papers online.

Outcome: Going beyond repository services National budget: enhancing participation Collecting opinions from grassroots and interest groups feeding the budgetary process Live web casting of National Budget speech Voice and text response to National Budget by representatives of interest groups Concept of Benefit of Investment for creating public access to ICTs Minimum wage campaign: Feeding with research based claims to the respective campaigning groups Research agenda of DFID for period upto 2013 Inputs from various interest groups Trade policy: Whether Trade in services to be the part of SAFTA

National budget: enhancing participation

Collecting opinions from grassroots and interest groups feeding the budgetary process

Live web casting of National Budget speech

Voice and text response to National Budget by representatives of interest groups

Concept of Benefit of Investment for creating public access to ICTs

Minimum wage campaign:

Feeding with research based claims to the respective campaigning groups

Research agenda of DFID for period upto 2013

Inputs from various interest groups

Trade policy:

Whether Trade in services to be the part of SAFTA

Challenges Resource Sharing: Threat to Income from sales of publication Copy right (plagiarism) Individualism Access to Resources Access to ICTs ( private and public) Lack of ICT skills Usage Plagiarism at the initial stage Offering Advance services due to limited resources Creation of online repositories of resources[ digitization] Offering cheap access to online repositories of regional and international publications Offering comprehensive update on latest releases of research publication Offering annotated bibliography by theme Access to digest of the research publications Participation in discussion on a particular topic/publication Resource Mobilisation Business model is still struggling

Resource Sharing:

Threat to Income from sales of publication

Copy right (plagiarism)

Individualism

Access to Resources

Access to ICTs ( private and public)

Lack of ICT skills

Usage

Plagiarism at the initial stage

Offering Advance services due to limited resources

Creation of online repositories of resources[ digitization]

Offering cheap access to online repositories of regional and international publications

Offering comprehensive update on latest releases of research publication

Offering annotated bibliography by theme

Access to digest of the research publications

Participation in discussion on a particular topic/publication

Resource Mobilisation

Business model is still struggling

THANK YOU Contact Address Development Research Network (D.Net) 6/8 Humayun Road, Block-B Mohammadpur Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Tel: +880 2 8156772, +880 2 9131424, +880 2 9129779 Fax: +880 2 8142021 E-mail: [email_address] [email_address] URL: www.bdresearch.org www.dnet-bangladesh.org www.bdresearch.org