Recognizing the critical role played by research and innovation in fostering human welfare and development, leaders in the international publishing community have entered into a partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization to provide access to fundamental scientific and technical literature for researchers, educators, and professionals in some of the world’s poorest countries.

The objective of the partnership is to promote the integration of developing countries into the global knowledge economy, allowing them to more fully realize their creative potential. To achieve this objective, the partnership – under the aegis of the Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI) program – will offer full online access to a range of scientific and technical publications and other related resources to patent offices in developing countries and additionally to local academic and research institutions in least developed countries.

The partnership will seek to incorporate additional members providing scientific and technical content in particular specialized patent and non-patent literature databases. It will also work closely with related existing programs in order to attain the highest possible degree of effectiveness and efficiency in delivering content, providing training, and raising awareness in developing countries.

The partnership will be based on the following principles:

  • It will provide access to a range of scientific and technical journals and other content resources.
  •  Access will be provided at a fee which reflects the state of national economies in the developing world and, in many cases, access may be provided at no charge.
  • All revenues collected for access will be remitted by the publishers to the ARDI programme for training, outreach and other related uses.
  • Access will be provided only to industrial property offices, and bona fide academic and research institutions..
  • Eligible institutions will include those from countries classified as “least developed countries” by the United Nations and most lower middle income countries according to the World Bank classification. The list of eligible countries and conditions of access may be reviewed from time to time by the parties.
  • Access will be provided in the broadest terms of the principles on which the partnership is based, while at the same time allowing publishers to make specific arrangements according to their own business models.
  • It will promote respect for the domestically and internationally recognized rights of intellectual property right owners.
  • It will take into consideration the need to develop indigenous research publishing programs in developing nations.
  • It recognizes the key role national governments and local organizations will play in supporting and developing the partnership.
  • Additional publishers and organizations interested in providing scholarly content, providing training to end users in eligible developing countries, and providing other assistance that support partnership objectives will be welcomed to the program.
  • Programs to monitor and evaluate the program will be instituted.
  • ARDI will continue until at least 2015, in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals.
     

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