Useful resources

This page provides links to information and articles about the open access movement in developing world countries. To suggest items for inclusion in this page, please contact us.

Index:

Organizations/initiatives focused on improving access to research in the developing world

Global Healthcare Information Network
Global Healthcare Information Network (GHI-net) is dedicated to help others work more effectively together in the creation, exchange and use of healthcare information. The focus is on primary and district healthcare in low and middle income countries (LMICs), including both professional and lay healthcare providers. GHI-net is not itself a provider of healthcare information.

Healthcare Information For All
HIFA2015 is a campaign and a knowledge network. Members interact by two email discussion forums: HIFA2015 and CHILD2015. Together we are building the HIFA2015 Knowledge Base, a picture of information needs and how to meet them. Membership is free and open to all.

Scientific Electronic Library Online
SciELO Network is a pioneer iniciative to developing countries inside the Open Access movement. It was implemented in the beginning of 1997 as a cooperative project between the Latin-American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME/PAHO/WHO) and the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and since 2002, it has also been supported by CNPq (National Research Council). Today SciELO operates collections of online journals from eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Portugal, Spain and Venezuela. There are two thematic collections:Public Health and Social Sciences English Edition. It also comprises over 450 titles journals and more than 130 thousand online free full-text articles, including original scientific articles, review articles, editorials and other types of communication.

eIFL.net
eIFL.net is a not-for-profit organisation that supports and advocates for the wide availability of electronic resources by library users in transitional and developing countries. Its core activities are: negotiating affordable subscriptions on a multi-country consortial basis; supporting national library consortia; and, maintaining a global knowledge sharing and capacity building network in related areas such as open access, intellectual property rights, open source software for libraries and the creation of institutional repositories of local content.

Current Science
Current Science, founded in 1932 is published by the Current Science Association in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Sciences.

The National Medical Journal of India
The National Medical Journal of India is a premier bi-monthly health sciences journal published from India.

Bioline International
Bioline International is a not-for-profit electronic publishing service committed to providing open access to quality research journals published in developing countries.

AGORA
The AGORA program, set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) together with publishers, enables developing countries to gain access to a digital library collection in the fields of food, agriculture, environmental science and related social sciences. AGORA provides a collection of over 900 journals to institutions in 107 countries.

Connecting Africa
Connecting-Africa is a service that provides access to African research information and materials produced in the Netherlands and elsewhere.

INASP
International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications' (INASP) mission is to enable worldwide access to information and knowledge with particular emphasis on the needs of developing and transitional countries.

HINARI
The HINARI program, set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) together with major publishers, enables developing countries to gain access to biomedical and health literature. Over 3750 journal titles are now available to health institutions in 113 countries.

J-Gate
J-Gate is an e-gateway to global e-journal literature and provides seamless access to millions of journal articles available online by linking to full text at publisher sites.

OARE
Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE), an international public-private consortium coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Yale University, and science and technology publishers, enables developing countries to gain free access to a collection of environmental science literature.

SciDev.net
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world. Includes articles from other news sources worldwide.

Salvador Declaration on Open Access: The Developing World Perspective
Document signed by participants at the 9th World Congress on Health Information and Libraries in September 2005 in Brazil. The Declaration urges “governments to make Open Access a high priority in science policies” including: requiring that publicly funded research is made available through Open Access and considering the cost of publication as part of the cost of research.

Organizations/initiatives focussed on improving technology resources worldwide

Bridges
Bridges.org is an international organization with a mission to promote the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the developing world for meaningful purposes, such as better healthcare, education and self-sustaining economic development.

C.A.R.E Computers for Developing Countries
C.A.R.E (Collect And Recycle Ecologically) Computers For Developing Countries was established with a two-fold vision. Firstly to assist in the education and development of the less priveleged secondary/tertiary school student of the developing country and secondly to help address the environmental issues of dumping of computer waste.

Computer Aid
Computer Aid International is the world’s largest non-profit supplier of computers to developing countries. High quality, professionally refurbished computers are provided for reuse in education, health and not-for-profit organisations in developing countries. Computer Aid has shipped over 90,000 PCs to where they are most needed in more than 100 countries.

Digital Links
Digital Links refurbish computers from UK companies for reuse in schools, NGO's and small enterprises across the developing world.

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC) strives to become the foremost international forum for practitioners, teachers, researchers and policy makers to share their knowledge and experience in the design, development, implementation, management and evaluation of information systems and technologies in developing countries.

InfoDev: Information for Development Program
InfoDev works to promote better understanding and effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as tools of poverty reduction and broad-based, sustainable development.

World Computer Exchange (WCE)
World Computer Exchange (WCE) provides computers and support services in education, environment, and economic development to help connect more young people to the Internet through 400 formal Partners in 58 developing countries.

Selected reports

Highlighted articles

Highlighted articles, editorials and opinion pieces on open access and access to internet technology in developing nations.

Blogs

  • The Electronic Publishing Trust for Development (EPT)
    The Electronic Publishing Trust for Development (EPT), one of the leading advocates for OA in the developing world, has launched a blog to help spread its advocacy and analysis.
  • Open Access News
    Peter Suber’s excellent site provides news and discussion on open access to research literature.