Two separate open access-related topics:
The local factor: the ideal is for every community everywhere to have the means and the expertise to lead any CWB initiatives in their own area, even if occasional assistance from outside is needed. There is a long way to go to get from here to there. To develop the local expertise, education is necessary. Open access is an important component. In order to teach, especially at higher and research levels, it is necessary to have the resources. In a nutshell, this is why it makes a great deal of sense for CWB to support open access.
CWB has joined the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a U.S.-based group that aims to make results of research funded by Americans open access.
hi Mark - I also am in agreement that CWB should focus on chemistry projects.
ReplyDeleteBringing chemistry technology to areas that don't have it, means bringing knowledge about chemistry to these areas. Open access does that.
Without focusing on open access at all, CWB could do much to help with simply supporting open access in principle, and educating people about OA. This should be less of a focus than the actual projects, of course, so I'll be writing much less about OA for the time being.