Weekly highlights – 9 September 2015

1. Quote

“We have this idea that only with western standards is science possible. This is not correct. I think science is possible wherever people are looking for solutions to their problems.”

Walter Bgoya, owner of Mkuni na Nyota Publishers, an independent publishing company in Dar es Salaam. This quote is taken from a new video released by the Strengthening Tanzanian Publishing (TZAP) project, which is supporting publishing in the country.

2. Updates

• This month, the AuthorAID team is particularly looking for new mentors in agriculture and related subjects.
• New blog post reports on a VakaYiko-funded series of climate roundtables that have been held in Kenya to bring together scientists and policymakers.

3. Upcoming events

• From 8 to 10 September Deputy Executive Director Julie Brittain will be in Nairobi, Kenya for the launch of AESA and to meet with potential partners.
• On 10 September Executive Director Sue Corbett will speak about the INASP Principles for Responsible Engagement at the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) conference in Heathrow, London. Follow #alpsp15 for more from that conference.
• Communications coordinator Siân Harris will participate in a panel discussion on open access at the Frankfurt Book Fair on 15 October.

4. Recent publications

• Conference presentation urges responsible publishing behaviour –  INASP News, 9 September, 2015 INASP
  Executive Director Sue Corbett will speak about responsible engagement between publishers and southern library consortia at this year’s Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers conference.
• Kenyan visit builds on local partnerships – INASP News, 8 September, 2015
  INASP’s Deputy Executive Director Julie Brittain will be in Nairobi, Kenya this week to attend the launch of the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA), a new funding platform for developing science strategies and funding research in Africa.
• New video considers Tanzanian publishing challenges – INASP News, 8 September, 2015
  A new video from the Strengthening Tanzanian Publishing (TZAP) project discusses the difficulties and opportunities for academic publishing in Tanzania.
• Tip of the Week #250 – AuthorAID, 8 September, 2015
  Leave time with grant proposals to avoid missing deadlines, writes Bernard Appiah
• Call for mentors: agriculture and related subjects – AuthorAID, 8 September, 2015
  Are you a senior researcher or editor who can provide mentoring support to up-and-coming researchers?
• Climate-change science roundtables support open dialogue for stakeholders and policy makers in Kenya – Practising Development, 7 September, 2015
  Winnie Khaemba, Research Fellow at INASP partner, the African Centre for Technology Studies, reports on a series of climate roundtables that have been held in Kenya to bring together scientists and policymakers. This project is supported by a grant from INASP as part of the VakaYiko project.
• Congratulations to the New AuthorAID Workshop-Grant Recipients! – AuthorAID, 6 September, 2015
  12 receive funding

5. External coverage

• Open research, scholarship and learning resources – Michael Gallagher MLearning in the Humanities blog, 6 September, 2015
• ULAP Conducts Lessons Learned and Monitoring Session for EIPM in Nueva Vizcaya – ULAP
• Thoughts From The Fifth PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference – Digital Science blog, 3 September, 2015