PLOS & DNDi launch a new Collection celebrating a Decade of Open Access and NTD R&D | Speaking of Medicine

"In the second post in celebration of the 10th Anniversaries of PLOS and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), PLOS Medicine Senior Editor, Rhona MacDonald, discusses the new PLOS Collection highlighting the valuable work of DNDi published in PLOS throughout the years. This special DNDi anniversary will also be celebrated at the Institut Pasteur from the 4th December. As part of a collaborative initiative, PLOS and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) are delighted to launch a special Collection—PLOS & DNDi: a decade of Open Access and Neglected Tropical Diseases R&D—to coincide with a joint event at the Institut Pasteur in Paris celebrating the 10 year anniversary of DNDi. In addition to being the same age, PLOS and DNDi have much in common. Both organisations have broken convention, both have pushed boundaries, and both have successfully combined the pursuit of quality scientific research and its publication with a strong advocacy. In a recent blog, DNDidescribe their history and their drive to prioritise the R&D of neglected diseases by putting it on the international health agenda and by facilitating networks of scientists from around the world. DNDi has shown that a new model in which public and private actors share knowledge and work together towards a common purpose can work.  Likewise, PLOS’s efforts have placed Open Access firmly on the international scientific publishing agenda and shown that a different model, which has demolished the publishing pay wall, does not rely on pharmaceutical advertising or reprints, and can measure the effect of scientific publications in a more meaningful way than impact factors, can be successful.  The Collection showcases the best of Open Access R&D for neglected diseases. The 21 articles in the Collection from across the PLOS journals highlight the journey over the past decade from advocacy, new innovations and partnerships, to the scientific research of new drugs ..."