Sponsorship Opportunity for African Delegates: 2nd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access

Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Date: December 8-14, 2024
Application Deadline: October 6, 2024 (11:59 PM GMT)

The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition: Africa (SPARC Africa), a section of the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), is excited to announce a unique sponsorship opportunity for African delegates to attend the 2nd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access. The Summit is hosted by the University of Cape Town Libraries, in collaboration with Redalyc/AmeliCA, SPARC (USA), South Africa’s National Research Foundation, IRD, UNESCO, CLACSO, Association of African Universities (AAU), Science Europe and the University of Cape Town (Libraries and Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship). The delegates sponsorship initiative aligns with SPARC Africa’s mission to foster greater inclusivity in scholarly communication and to ensure that African research is discoverable, accessible, and openly shared across the globe.

The 2nd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access will bring together the diamond open access community, alongside potential contributors, for dialogue among academic librarians, journal editors, organizations, experts, and stakeholders worldwide. The Summit seeks to deepen inclusive and equitable participation in the scholarly publishing ecosystem, and advance the principle that “research should be accessible to all.”

Event Highlights

Sponsored delegates will participate in the following events:

1. Workshops on Open Publishing and Open Monograph Publishing (December 9-10, 2024)
   • Workshop 1: Open Publishing Workshop, hosted by PKP and Redalyc. This is a two-day hands-on workshop is designed for academic libraries and research institutes who want to leverage Open Journal Systems (OJS) for their journal publishing.
   • Workshop 2: Open Monograph Publishing. Themed ‘Towards Sustainable Open Access Book Publishing in the Global South Context‘ and hosted by Copim Project and Association of African Universities (AAU). Another two-day workshop to explore strategies and mechanisms to move towards sustainable open access book publishing ecosystems in Global South contexts.
2. Global Summit on Diamond Open Access (December 11-13, 2024)
   Themed ‘Diamond open access: centering social justice in scholarly communication to advance research as a public good,’ this is the third and main event of the Summit. It will bring together thought leaders, stakeholders, and practitioners from around the world to engage in critical discussions on how open access can serve as a tool for social justice and public good.
3. Forum meetings and other post-summit engagements (December 14, 2024)
   Delegates will also have the opportunity to participate in various workshops, forum meetings, and other post-summit engagements including Consultation Forum and the Africa Consortia Forum.

Sponsorship Package

The sponsorship covers:

• Round-trip flight tickets
• Accommodation (check-in: Sunday afternoon, 8 December and check out: Sunday morning, 15 December), 
• Meals during the conference
• Ground transportation to and from the airport and conference venue

Note: Visa costs are not included in the sponsorship package. Sponsored delegates will have to pay for their own visas

Selected Eligibility Criteria

• Open to African librarians, researchers, educators, authors, publishers and open access advocates
• Applications are encouraged from both English and non-English speaking African countries. The main conference will be accessible in French, Portuguese, and Spanish, though workshops and other engagements will be conducted in English.
• Applicants who have made demonstrated contributions to the open access movement in Africa and those with institutional support to attend the Summit may have an advantage during selection.

Application Process

The application is two-phased.

1. Interested applicants must complete the online form.
2. All applicants are required to send an abridged version of their CV, and evidence of institutional support to researchcoordinator@aflia.net with the subject: SPARC-Africa Sponsored Delegates.
3. Send all required documents in ONE email.
4. Abridged CVs should not be more than 3 pages.

If an applicant fails to complete this two-stage process, their application will be deemed incomplete. All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee, and applicants will be notified of their status in due course. Please note that the review committee’s decision is final.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: October 6, 2024 (11:59 PM GMT)
• Conference dates: December 8-14, 2024

Why Apply?

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a global conversation on diamond open access and contribute to shaping the future of scholarly communication in Africa and beyond. Don’t miss out on the chance to join other advocates and experts at this landmark event, made possible through SPARC Africa’s efforts under the AfLIA umbrella.

For more information about the Summit, visit this website.

About SPARC Africa

SPARC Africa is the regional coalition of the global Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC). Its primary mission is to promote and advance open access within academic and research institutions across Africa. SPARC Africa encourages national governments, research agencies, and academic institutions to adopt policies that support open access, ensuring that scholarly literature and research outputs are freely available. With support from funding agencies, SPARC Africa advocates for the allocation of resources to support these initiatives and facilitates the development of institutional intellectual property policies that are favourable to open access.

In addition to policy advocacy, SPARC Africa provides critical support to libraries and librarians by promoting the use of open-source software, developing training programs for managing repositories, and encouraging collaboration among members. The coalition works closely with international organizations, including SPARC Global, to enhance the visibility of African research and the exchange of ideas and expertise in open access practices.