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A growing knowledge divide Restricted Knowledge Access According to the OCDE, the world spends over US$2 trillion of tax-payers’ money on research and development. This public funding results in over 2.5 million scholarly publications per year and supports the growth of intellectual property to drive technological innovations and support advanced knowledge societies. However, 90% of this knowledge is captured, owned and locked up by subscription-based publishing models. Even researchers must buy access to read their own articles. Researchers are forbidden from disseminating their research discoveries because they no longer own the copy rights to their articles (and hence the access to the results). Access to a Fraction of knowledge
With over 2.5 million articles per year locked up in over 24,000 journals, there is no university in the world that can afford the US$10's of millions in annual subscription fees. What fraction can a university in a developing country subscribe to? What access do you as a layperson, have? Who paid for this research? Lobbyism & Subjective Evaluation Following an often expensive and objective research study, a long, subjective and often unconstructive review process determines publication. How much time, effort, creativity and innovation are lost in this process? Overwhelming Publication Volume A rapidly growing problem facing knowledge societies is the exponential growth of information. How does one choose what to read? What is one missing? What are the guidelines for selecting the relevant and excellent research? How can the information be distilled and delivered to you, the reader? Fragmented and Distant Fields of Knowledge Research is conducted in science, medicine, technology, engineering, business, economics, humanities, social sciences and arts; often in a highly fragmented and isolated manner. What could we gain from building bridges? Local Research for Local Benefit Most research knowledge is produced by the wealthiest 10% of nations and mainly accessible to only these ones. Imagine the cost free benefit if the other 90% could access this knowledge in the 21st century. Providing food is an important short-term solution to prevent starvation, but knowledge is the only long-term solution. Frontiers believes that sharing knowledge is an obligation
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