Open access publisher BioMed Central is working to increase the visibility of scientific research from Africa with a set of initiatives designed to encourage African researchers to publish their work in open access journals.
The publisher has announced that its 2nd Open Access Africa conference will take place from October 25 -26, 2011, at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The free conference, organised in association with Computer Aid International, will provide a focal point to bring researchers, librarians and funders together to examine the opportunities and challenges for open access publishing in an African context. The conference is free to attend but registration is necessary. Interested parties may contact oaafrica@biomedcentral.com to register their details.
Alongside the announcement of Open Access Africa 2011, BioMed Central has also launched a new free membership scheme for qualifying universities and research institutions in low-income countries. Foundation Membership will enable institutions to demonstrate their support for open access publishing and offers a range of benefits which will enhance the visibility of the institution's research output. Institutions are eligible to become Foundation Members if they are located in a country covered by BioMed Central's Open Access Waiver Fund , have an official institutional policy in support of open access, and have published at least five papers in BioMed Central open access journals within the last three years.
In addition to the new Foundation Membership programme, BioMed Central is also introducing a new cost-effective open access publishing and institutional repository solution targeted at low-income countries, the 'Open Access Package'. The Open Access Package provides a comprehensive and affordable open access solution that offers Foundation members the tools to support both open access publishing and self-archiving of scientific articles within their libraries.
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