The document discusses how open access to digital research can help developing countries overcome academic divides. It outlines how Germany supports improving infrastructure and digital access through initiatives to connect countries to broadband networks. It also describes efforts to build capacity for independent knowledge production and distribution, such as providing open educational resources in local languages through platforms like creative commons licensing. Overall, the document argues that open access approaches can significantly help developing countries acquire and apply knowledge to local needs by overcoming digital and academic divides.

1. German Development Cooperation and Open Access / By Peter Rave, German Technical Cooperation,
GTZ
德國發展合作與開放近用 / 彼得‧瑞伍, 德國技術合作署
In the context of the global structural change from agricultural and industrial societies to knowledge
societies, knowledge has become a basic factor for sustainable economic and social development(73).
One of the goals of German development cooperation at university level is the independent
development and acquisition of knowledge, as well as its application to local needs and problems in the
partner countries(74). In this context, Open Access to digital research repositories and virtual research
environments harbours great potential for developing countries.
全球的結構性變化，由農業社會與工業社會轉變為知識社會，知識已成為經濟與社會持續發展
的基本要素(註 73) 。在大學層級的德國發展合作, 其目標之一是獨立發展與取得知識，以及應
用至夥伴國的在地需要和解決其問題(註 74)。在此背景下，開放近用的數位研究典藏所與虛擬
研究環境是發展中國家的巨大潛力窗口。
註 73: 參見 ‘Knowledge for Development’ = [知識為發展之用], World Development Report 1998–
1999, http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/wdr98/overview.pdf.
註 74: 已有近 70 個夥伴國家,
http://www.bmz.de/de/laender/partnerlaender/laenderkonzentration/index.html.
The digital and academic divide••••••••
數位與學術落差
To ensure that scientists and scholars in our partner countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, can
share in current research results, it is generally necessary to first overcome what is known as the
‘digital divide’: weak infrastructure for information and communications technologies (ICT), high
access costs and/or lacking deregulation of telecommunications providers, as well as a lack of local
ICT service-providers and experts. This digital divide slows down communication with international
research institutions, access to international library initiatives(75), and also the production, archiving
and distribution of (electronic) publications (cf. diagram). Looked at in this way, the digital divide
reinforces the existing academic divide between developed and developing countries.
為了確保我們夥伴國的科學家和學者，特別是在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲各國，可以分享最新的
研究成果，必須先克服所謂的'數位落差'：薄弱的資訊與通信技術基礎建設(ICT)，高昂的近用
費用以及缺少電信運營商，以及缺乏在地的資訊與通訊技術服務提供者和專家。這種數位落差
減緩與國際研究機構之間的溝通，近用國際圖書館的活動(註 75)，同時減緩生產、典藏與散布
(電子)出版品的能力(見下圖)。從這個角度來說，數位落差強化已開發國家與開發中國家既存的
學術落差。
圖, The size of the countries is proportional to the percentage of all scientific and scholarly publications
published there by authors in 2001. (Source:
http://www.worldmapper.org/posters/worldmapper_map205_ver5.pdf)

2. 註 75: 如，International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)
(http://www.inasp.info/), Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI)
(http://www.inasp.info/peri/), Initiative Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net)
(http://www.eifl.net/), Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI)
(http://www.emro.who.int/HINARI).
Improved access in developing countries to ICT and the global communications networks has been the
object of international initiatives(76) since the late 1990s. Germany supports these initiatives and treats
the subject of ICT as an interdisciplinary issue, which, in conjunction with improvements in education
and research, is intended to ease the way towards knowledge societies for partner countries.
1990 年以來, 改善發展中國家在資訊通信技術以及全球通訊網絡的近用, 一直是國際行動的目標
(註 76)。德國支持這些行動, 將資訊通信技術議題視為跨學科的問題，與改善教育和研究掛勾，
以舒緩夥伴國家邁向知識社會的障礙。
註 76: 如，八大工業國(數位機會工作小組)、聯合國(資訊社會世界高峰會, 資訊通訊技術工作小
組)
Open Access approaches in German development cooperation•••••••••••••
德國合作發展中的開放近用努力
The Open Access approach of the KfW Entwicklungsbank (KfW development bank) focuses on
infrastructure. The KfW is part of the consortium of development-finance institutions that is preparing
the funding of the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy). This will provide eastern and
southern Africa with an inexpensive broadband connection to the international fibreglass
communications network.
德國復興信貸銀行(KfW Entwicklungsbank)把開放近用定位在基礎建設，德國復興信貸銀行係發
展金融機構的聯盟, 準備籌資東非的海底光纜系統(EASSy)。為非洲東部和南部建立廉價的寬頻
網路, 連接國際的光纖網路。
Further measures are necessary to ensure that academics and entrepreneurs can use such networks and
further ICT to process knowledge and adapt them according to their needs. For this reason the GTZ and
InWEnt (Capacity Building International, Germany) are implementing measures for capacity
development and institution building in many educational and research institutions in partner countries.
These measures increasingly focus on independent electronic production, archiving and distribution of
digital contents, also via regional networks(77). In addition, teaching and learning materials are also
being offered in native languages, increasingly through the use of alternative licensing models such as
creative commons (http://creativecommons.org/), which allow users far-reaching freedom when
exploiting the contents(78).
為了確保學者和企業家可以使用這種網路，有進一步衡量的必要, 才能以網路通訊技術處理知,
改造成符合其需要。基於這個原因，德國技術合作署(GTZ)及德國國際培訓和發展協會(InWEnt)
在夥伴國家的若干教育與研究機構內, 對發展能力及機構建物提出若干衡量的方法。這些措施專
注在數位內容的獨立產品、典藏與散佈, 同時也藉助區域網路的能力(註 77)。此外，提供在地語
言的學習材料，採用創用 CC(http://creativecommons.org/)之類的他種授權模式, 越來越多. 使用者

3. 有更大的自由去探究內容(註 78) 。
註 77: http://www.crystal-elearning.net/index_eng.html.
註 78: http://www.gc21.de/ibt/GC21/site/gc21/ibt/start.html.
Since Internet access is still severely restricted in many of the partner countries, innovative channels of
distribution for digital resources must be tested. An example is the University of Addis Ababa, which
has a bandwidth of only 6 Mbit/s (March 2007) at its disposal. In the context of the Ethiopian Capacity
Building Programme(79) a socalled ‘open toaster’(80) was developed together with the students at this
university. The students are now able to select digital resources (free software and publications) via a
touch screen and burn them directly on to CDs. The measures presented here show how diversely the
Open Access approach is being implemented within development cooperation and how much it
contributes to overcoming the academic divide.
很多夥伴國家網際網路的使用, 仍採取嚴格的限制措施，創新的電子資源散布管道，必須先測
試。衣索匹亞的阿迪斯阿貝巴大學就是一個例子，祗有一條 6 Mbit/s(2007 年 3 月)的寬頻。在衣
索匹亞能力建設計劃(註 79)裡, 有一個與該校的學生共同發展出來, 所謂'一起乾杯'(註 80)的案
子。經由觸控螢幕, 學生可以選擇數位資源(自由軟體及出版品), 並燒製成光碟。陳述此案的目
的, 係表示在實務上, 開放近用措施在發展合作上, 對彌平學術落差的幫助。
註 79: http://www.ecbp.biz/index.php?id=homepage.
註 80: http://www.ecbp.biz/index.php?id=toaster.
p. 109-110
Open Access: Opportunities and challenges. A handbook [開放近用 : 機會及挑戰] / European
Commission, German Commission for UNESCO. -- Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of
the European Communities, 2008. -- 144 p., 14.8 x 21.0 cm. -- ISBN 978-92-79-06665-8. -- EUR
23459, http://tinyurl.com/3q8wo5