Apologies for cross posting. We hope that the announcement below will be of
interest to this list.
 
Kind regards

Grace Baynes 

PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release 
============================================== 
3 August 2004 
BIOMED CENTRAL TO CONSULT FUNDERS AND LIBRARIANS OVER OPEN ACCESS PAYMENT
MODEL 
============================================== 

BioMed Central, the Open Access publisher, announced today that it is to
consult with librarians and funding bodies about future mechanisms for
funding Open Access publishing. The consultation workshop will take place in
London on 31 August. The conclusions of the meeting will be published in
September. 

The workshop will focus on four key discussion points: 

o Payment model for Open Access: membership / article-processing charges 
o Payment mechanisms for Open Access; differences and similarities with
subscriptions 
o Role of the library and the funding body in the Open Access world 
o Collaboration between institutions/librarians and funding bodies: can
mechanisms be found to channel funding streams via the institution/library
to pay for Open Access? 

Head of Marketing and Sales Natasha Robshaw explains why the consultation
has been organised, and what BioMed Central hope to gain from the day; 

“In this new environment of Open Access publishing our business model is
still evolving. At BioMed Central we believe we need the advice and
involvement of the community to help us with important issues such as
payment models to ensure the continued success of Open Access publishing. We
hope that this consultation will allow us to explore how to channel funds to
pay for Open Access publishing in the future – in a way that truly fits the
needs of the community.” 

Sixteen invited representatives of the library and funding communities have
accepted BioMed Central’s invitation to the one-day meeting. They include: 

Michael Leach Harvard University, USA 
Nicole Pinhas INSERM, France 
Stéphanie Lux INSERM, France 
Antonio Fantoni La Sapienza , Italy 
Ann Okerson Yale University, USA 
Norbert Lossau Bielefeld University, Germany 
Mary Ryan University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA 
Fytton Rowland Loughborough University, UK 
Ingegerd Rabow Lund University, Sweden 
Linda Watson University of Virginia, USA 
Peter Morgan Cambridge University, UK 
Robert Terry Wellcome Trust, UK 
Heather Weaver Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
(CCLRC), UK 
Stephane Goldstein Research Councils United Kingdom 
Joan Leishman University of Toronto, Canada 


ENDS 

Press Office Contacts: 
Grace Baynes for BioMed Central 
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 9988 
E-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  

About BioMed Central 
BioMed Central ( http://www.biomedcentral.com <http://www.biomedcentral.com>
) is an independent online publishing house committed to providing immediate
access without charge to the peer-reviewed biological and medical research
it publishes. This commitment is based on the view that open access to
research is essential to the rapid and efficient communication of science.
In addition to open-access original research, BioMed Central also publishes
reviews and other subscription-based content. 

BioMed Central's business model is based on charging authors to publish, and
then making the content free to readers. Under membership agreements,
authors from member institutions will not be asked to pay an article
processing charge when publishing research. The charge is instead covered by
the institution's BioMed Central membership. This applies to all of BioMed
Central’s journals 100+ peer-reviewed journals. Upon acceptance, the article
becomes available online without charge to readers worldwide. 

BioMed Central's Institutional Membership Program was launched in January
2002 and now has well over 400 members, including some of the world's most
prestigious academic institutions.



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