Knowledge Exchange
Knowledge Exchange (KE) is the international knowledge exchange collaboration in which DEFF has been active since 2005. The KE-initiative partners are Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in Great Britain, Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft (DFG) in Germany and the university organisation SURFfoundation in Holland. The four organisations are very different, both as regards organisational structure, assignment and mission. But common to them all is their role and visions in terms of the establishment and development of a coherent Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and information infrastructure for researchers and students. Since the start DEFF has provided the premises for the KE-secretariat.
New agreement
Following tenders KE has chosen consultants to evaluate the actual KE-initiative. The evaluation has formed the basis for the KE-partners’ assessment of and decision on a future collaboration, including form, organisational structure and extension of the membership circle. Structural changes have e.g. included the board being replaced by a steering committee with a representative from each of the partner organisations, the secretariat becoming further integrated in the local organisation, and KE appointing a part-time coordinator. An annual Strategy Forum with participation of i.a. top management from the partner organisations sets the strategic course. JISC, SURFfoundation, DFG and DEFF have accepted a new three-year period of collaboration lasting from September 2008 to 2011.
Strategy Forum
The second Strategy Forum was held on 10. January 2008 in Utrecht. The most important result of the meeting was the continued backing for a continuation of dialogue and cooperation, and consequently a new three-year period. Likewise the participants in Strategy Forum were agreed that the present prioritisation should be extended to include the development of a common access to both Virtual Research Environments and the preservation and access to primary research data. Very high prioriti-sation was also given to the establishing of a dialogue with the EU at strategic, political level to inform about the KE-partners’ views concerning the preferred infrastructural development, including European Digital Library.
The third Strategy Forum was held on 21. November 2008 in London, thereby making it the first in the new three-year period. It was agreed to continue with the same vision as in the previous period and continue to strengthen the dialogue with the EU.
Open Access
In September 2008 KE sent a letter to Janez Potocnik, EU commissioner for Science and Research, with recommendations for the further development of Open Access. KE urged the commission to continue its efforts to provide public access to the results of publicly financed research. Janez Potocnik’s response to the letter was to invite to continuous dialogue and collaboration.
The OA working group held two workshops during 2008. The first took place in September, entitled Expert Workshop on Journal Transition and the second From Principles to Practice in Good Copyright Management was held in December. Both workshops will in 2009 be followed by further workshops on the subject.
The four partner countries launched a cost-benefit analysis in 2008 of alternative publishing models, which is being conducted by John Houghton, Victoria University, Australia. The JISC report is expected to be completed by the end of the year, while the remaining reports will be completed in 2009.
National licenses in joint tender
The joint license tender, which was agreed upon in 2007, was completed in early 2008, and five suppliers were identified. The agreements cover access from 2009, and were sent to the institutions in the four countries for subsequent registration.
Unfortunately the backing has not quite come up to expectations.
Working groups
Three new working groups started in 2008, namely Virtual Research Environments, Primary Research Data and Libraries in the Digital Age (European Digital Libraries). Several workshops have been planned as well as the preparation of a report to clarify the legal aspects in connection with ownership to primary research data.
EU
One of KE’s prioritisations in 2008 has been to continue the dialogue and extend the collaboration with the EU Commission.
Publication may be found at the address http://www.bibliotekogmedier.dk/fileadmin/publikationer/publikationer_engelske/deff/annualreport_2008/index.htm