The workshop, hosted by the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) in collaboration with the University of Mauritius (UoM) and PLOS (the open access publisher and advocacy organisation), takes place under the aegis of a research partnership between SCAP and UoM aimed at better understanding research dissemination practice in Mauritius and the benefits of technologically-driven, open approaches to scholarly communication.

Conducted by PLOS Advocacy Director Cameron Neylon, the workshop will focus on the challenge of transforming knowledge and innovation policy frameworks for optimum participation in a 21st century global knowledge society. The workshop will also provide an overview of the international academic funding environment and the influence of new open access imperatives on funding eligibility.

Mauritius is highly rated for its alignment of government and higher education policy* and it is hoped that the workshop will contribute to the ongoing evolution and alignment of national policy for the purposes of fostering international collaborative networks.

The dialogue forms part of an international collaboration initiative between SCAP (hosted at the University of Cape Town, South Africa), PLOS (USA/UK) and UoM. The Ministerial interaction will be complemented by a series of workshops and interactions at UoM, including a change laboratory workshop and seminar on global networked scholarship in the UoM Faculty of Science on 16 January.

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* See Bailey et al. (2010) Case Study: Mauritius and the University of Mauritius. A report of the CHET Research on Higher Education and Development in Africa (HERANA) Programme. Available at: http://chet.org.za/papers/case-study-mauritius-and-university-mauritius

To view pictures of this training event, see the University of Namibia Library.

To download the presentation, please visit our Slideshare account.

The presentation is available for download on our Slideshare account.

To access the article directly, please visit our Slideshare account.

The seminar will be livestreamed – details are provided here.

To access the PAO directly, you can also visit our Slideshare account.

The meeting will be held at UCT Library and will include Library managers and a cohort of Subject Librarians, as well representatives from the UCT Research Office, ICTS and the OpenUCT initiative.

A number of important questions are under discussion. Open access dissemination models are increasingly being understood as crucial for optimum participation in the digital environment. What are all the things we need to look at in this disruptive process? What does an African university need to do to stay abreast and participate? Who are the stakeholders?

In addressing these questions, the Stellenbosch presentation will focus on the Stellenbosch University strategic vision, open access publication strategy, and IT approach for optimal interoperability and channeling of digital content.

The Stellenbosch University Repository is one of the top IR on the African continent, and operates on the approach of a strong cohesive relationship between policy, implementation/community and IT. The SU Library is innovating a strategic approach around linking the IR and the university journal publishing operation (hosted on Open Journal Systems) as part of a strategic e-resources strategy for the purpose of integrating publishing functionality into institutional content management. We are eager to learn from our Stellenbosch colleagues and look forward to more collaboration in this area.