NECOBELAC

Network of collaboration between Europe and Latin American Caribbean countries to spread know-how in scientific writing and provide the best tools to exploit open access information in public health

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The idea is to spread know-how in the production, dissemination and retrieval and use of health information in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, on the basis of the European and LAC experiences, the analysis of the different socio-cultural landscapes and the specific health information needs of the areas involved. The project will strengthen awareness about the benefits of the new publication model (open access) and create a network of institutions closely collaborating in ad hoc training programs; the first steps will regard the necessity to develop and exchange know-how in information production and diffusion (including technical and ethical issues) among all stakeholders. Specific infrastructures will be developed to promote cultural change. The project acts through a two level training approach (train-the-trainers and local training) including the use of topic maps as innovative tool based on semantic web. Traning activities will be developed both in Europe and LAC. A unifying Project such as NECOBELAC will contribute to strengthen the coordination, development and effectiveness of existing health related information infrastructures in Europe and Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC), in order to achieve a wider scale uptake of community engagement, embedding the use of open access methods within accepted working practices. The countries involved will benefit from contacts with leaders in the field of open access development and will be able to share their experiences thus strengthening networks of collaboration with mutual advantages: - Europe will be able to benefit by increased access to the research outputs of Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) and by the wider adoption of open access methods - LAC countries will be able to benefit from sharing quality programs in launching and operating open access initiatives and strengthen their existing networks and collections in the health sciences including the Virtual Health Library and Scientific Electronic Library Online both launched 10 years ago and achieving progressively sustainable operation since then. NECOBELAC will show how international bi-directional cooperation is an added value contributing to the capacity building process by embedding information dissemination practices in different geographical areas with diverse cultural and technological scenarios.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Jointly developed training tools and knowledge databases between Europe and Latin America will help raise the standard of public health, particularly for developing countries.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Enhancing the production and dissemination of quality scientific information in public health is a global priority that can support every nation in improving the well-being of its citizens. The EU-funded project http://www.necobelac.eu/en/index.php (NECOBELAC) promoted open access publishing models within the field among European and Latin American academic and research institutions.

Bringing together institutions from both regions of the world, the project developed and implemented a training strategy in scientific writing and open access publishing, supported by training tools and networking mechanisms. The training part involved 8 train-the-trainers courses in Europe and Latin America, as well as 40 training replication activities at local level that attracted over 1 000 participants.

Key tools in this respect included topic maps based on semantic web modules and training modules related to scientific publication. Detailed information on the project training experience, including topic maps on scientific writing and open access publishing were made available online and more information is available on the project website. Importantly, the project prepared online material and printed material in English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish to support training, dissemination and appropriate use of the project's results at local level.

Another key project achievement involved numerous dissemination activities to strengthen the project impact, including several journal articles, newsletters, presentations, posters and progress reports, which were all published online. This helped improve and strengthen networking activities between European and Latin American nations, stimulating the development of information tools and digital archives.

The result is a community of institutions that promote the dissemination of health knowledge and develop joint research activities. As the barriers to creating synergies fall, citizens will feel the benefits of a stronger, better informed health system on both sides of the Atlantic.