The Open Access Week 2010 started on October 18, as thousands of scholars, faculty and students from nearly 90 countries worldwide participate in events to raise awareness and advance understanding of the benefits of open access (OA). The week is projected to feature the voices of top researchers stepping forward with first-hand accounts of how OA to research has positively impacted them and their ability to do their work.
Leading the event is OA advocate Dr. Harold Varmus, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who currently directs the US National Cancer Institute. He is joined by Dr. Cameron Neylon, a biophysicist and open research advocate; Dr. Mona Nemer, professor and vice-president for research at the University of Ottawa; Dr. Roger Wakimoto, Director of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research; and a host of other researchers from around the globe.
Presenters are expected to paint a clear picture of how OA has contributed to changing the research landscape and point to opportunities that lay ahead. Dr. Varmus has described OA as an 'incredibly important development in the history of science'. Dr. Neylon noted how popular news stories now highlight a growing amount of research published in OA journals, which make that material directly available to people who want to dig deeper.
The Kick-Off Event, along with the voices of a large international host of researchers, will be highlighted in OA Week programmes everywhere. It is now available through the OA Week website at www.openaccessweek.org/video.
A global event now entering its fourth year, Open Access Week (October 18 to 24) is projected as an opportunity for the academic and research community to learn about the potential benefits of OA; to share ideas with colleagues; and to inspire wider participation in establishing OA as a new norm in scholarship and research. Research funding agencies, academic institutions, research organisations, non-profits and businesses can expect to use it as a platform to launch expanded OA publication funds, institution-wide OA policies and new reports on the societal and economic benefits of OA.
Open Access Week is organised by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with guidance from an international panel of OA leaders.
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