Free access to UK aid-funded research - Economic Times

“Committing to provide free access to research funded by Britain, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has warned that charging the developing world for new scientific research will mean fewer people escape poverty and could cost lives. Setting out an open access policy, Mitchell said all researchers receiving funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) would now be required to make their findings available for free online. Official sources said that the new policy emphasised the need to make research available easily and at no cost to scientists working in the developing world, research bodies, charities and humanitarian organisations, who can implement new findings in a way that has an immediate effect on the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. The most prevalent current approach in the scientific community is to publish results in subscription journals and pay-to-access websites, automatically pricing out many who stand to benefit most from the findings. Officials said that recent DFID-funded breakthroughs include new drugs for malaria and sleeping sickness, better diagnostic tests for tuberculosis, vaccines for cattle diseases in Africa, flood-resistant 'scuba' rice and drought-resistant crops to lessen the impact of climate change. Mitchell said: ‘Even the most groundbreaking research is of no use to anyone if it sits on a shelf gathering dust. We will continue to support work that finds new ways to tackle diseases that can wipe out a generation, boost crop yields for poor farmers or increase vitamin A levels in sweet potatoes to help malnourished children.’ He added: ‘What's just as important, though, is ensuring that these findings get into the hands of those in the developing world who stand to gain most from putting them in to practical use.’ Mitchell said that doing so would mean continued emphasis on tackling existing bottlenecks that stop research reaching those who needed it, whether by finding better ways to communicate findings to rural farmers or by working to make new technology more accessible and affordable.”