Publishers should support higher education more broadly, not just universities

Press release – 28 June 2012

Publishers have been urged to look beyond 'flagship' universities and research institutes in developing countries to support national research and library consortia.

The 2012 Publishers for Development conference, held in Oxford last week, saw publishers come together with librarians from across Africa, Asia and Latin America to discuss ways in which research and higher education can be strengthened in developing countries.

The conference demonstrated that few institutions are able to meet the scale of need for research and higher education capacity across all subjects and disciplines. Strengthening national higher education systems means that support needs to extend beyond 'flagship' universities, and networks of researchers and institutions can play an important role.

Agatha Kabugu, Systems Librarian at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, said "Consortia help us to share experiences and to share the load. It gives us a stronger voice; you get noticed, and you are able to influence decision-making at institutional level as a result. This benefits the institutions and the individuals".

The conference also considered how to ensure that research has a real impact on development. Researchers need to consider their work beyond publication, universities need to improve their relationships with the end users of research, and policymakers need to understand why research evidence matters.

Janet Remmington, Editorial Director, Arts & Humanities and Regional Director, Africa at Taylor & Francis, found the conference and interaction with delegates valuable. 'Hearing in more depth about the issues, and innovative work, from librarians from the global South is crucial to efforts to further strengthen the knowledge communication cycle.'

Notes:

1. Publishers for Development (PfD) was launched in 2008 and is a joint initiative of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP). It was established as a forum for information and discussion around the importance of access to information for development. Through PfD, the ACU and INASP aim to explore with our colleagues in publishing and from other access and research support initiatives some of the unique challenges that developing country libraries, researchers, and publishers experience. PfD also offers an opportunity for publishers to keep up to date and to share experiences of their own initiatives to support developing country research. For further information, visit www.pubs-for-dev.info

2. The 2012 Publishers for Development conference was held on 19 June in Oxford, UK, on the theme 'Networks: the building blocks for sustainable development'. The organisers are grateful for the support of Springer, Taylor & Francis, and IOP Publishing. For further information, visit www.pubs-for-dev.info/conference/2012-conference or search for #pfd2012 on Twitter.

3. The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was established in 1913 and is the oldest international inter-university network in the world, with over 500 members in six

continents. Its mission is to strengthen the higher education institutions within its membership through international cooperation and understanding. The ACU operates a series of professional networks for staff in key roles, undertakes research and policy analysis on key issues in international higher education, and has active programmes in libraries and information, research management, gender, and university governance. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk

4. The International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) works with partners to support global research communication through innovation, networking, and capacity strengthening. Focusing on the needs of developing and emerging countries, INASP works with them to address their national priorities to increase access to national and international scholarly information; support the use, creation, management and uptake of scholarly information via ICTs; and enable national, regional and international cooperation, networking, and knowledge exchange. INASP also advises and advocates for improved policy and practice in achieving sustainable and equitable development through effective communication, knowledge and networks. For further information, visit www.inasp.info

5. For further information, please contact:

Jonathan Harle
+44 (0)20 7380 6769
[email protected]

Anne Powell
+44 (0)1865 249 909
[email protected]