(25 March 2014) In a meeting in Rome on 20-21 March 2014 representatives from several major regional repository networks sat down to develop a strategy to better align their activities. The meeting brought together delegates from Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
As research becomes increasingly global, it is critical to create infrastructure that can connect across geographic boundaries. Recently there have been significant efforts around the world to develop repository networks. These networks represent an important content layer within the research infrastructure system: They provide access to the products of research such as articles, data, and other content to researchers and to the world. They are also becoming an important source of information for governments, funding agencies and institutions about the impact of the research they support.
In Rome, delegates identified several key elements that will be addressed immediately and agreed to work together on an ongoing basis on other issues to further align their repositories. It was also established that these activities will take place under the auspices of the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR), an international alliance of repository initiatives.
The detailed announcement is here.
