Cuba’s Academy of Science will hold an International Workshop on Open Access to Scientific Literature and other Digital Scientific Information Resources in Central America and the Caribbean: Focus on Education and Health for Sustainable Development.

It will take place at Palco Hotel, Havana, Cuba, September 3 – 4, 2008.

The details follow bellow:

* Wednesday, 3 September.

08:00 – 09:00 Registration.

09:00 – 09:20 Session 1. Welcome and review of Workshop objectives.

Chair: Ismael Clark Arxer, President, Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC), (Cuba).

1. Welcoming remarks by Sergio Jorge Pastrana, Foreign Secretary, Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC), (Cuba). 2. Background to the IAP Program and Workshop objectives by Michael Clegg, Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), (USA).

09:20 – 10:00 Keynote address. Luis C. Silva Ayçaguer, National Medical Sciences Information Center (INFOMED), (Cuba).

10:00 – 10:20 Coffee Break.

10:20 – 11:50 Session 2. Panel Discussion: International trends and perspectives on open access to, and use of, scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources.

Chair: Robert J. Lancashire, Secretary, Caribbean Academy of Sciences, (Jamaica).

Rapporteur: Paul F. Uhlir, Director, Office of International S&T Information Programs, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), (USA).

2.1. Presentation on Research and Education Networks, Martha I. Giraldo Jaramillo, Executive Director, High Technology National Academic Network (RENATA), (Colombia).

2.2. Presentation on Open Access Initiative, John Wilbanks, Executive Director, Science Commons, (USA).

2.3. “Designing a Data Commons for Sustainability Science: Lessons Learned from a World Data Center”, Alexander M. de Sherbinin, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), (USA).

2.4. General Discussion.

11:50 – 13:20 Lunch.

13:20 – 14:50 Session 3. Panel Discussion on challenges in open access to, and use of, scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources in developing countries for sustainable development: management, technical and infrastructure issues.

Chair: María Zunilda Sanchez, Full Member, Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic (The Dominican Republic).

Rapporteur: Raúl G. Torricella Morales, Director, Publishing House for Electronic Texts (EDUNIV), Ministry of Higher Education of Cuba (MES), (Cuba).

3.1. Presentation on CLARA Network, Martha I. Giraldo Jaramillo, Executive Director, High Technology National Academic Network (RENATA), (Colombia).

3.2. Presentation on the National University Network (REDUNIV), Ministry of Higher Education of Cuba (MES), Francisco Lee Tenorio, Director of Informatics, Ministry of Higher Education, (Cuba) and Jorge D. Villa Hernández, Supervisor, National University Network (REDUNIV), Ministry of Higher Education (MES), (Cuba).

3.3. “Scholarly communication: a new modelo for Brazil”, Hélio Kuramoto, Brazilian Institute for Information in Science and Technology (IBICT), (Brazil).

3.4. General Discussion.

14:50 - 15:10 Coffee – Break.

15:10 – 16:40 Session 4. Panel Discussion on challenges in open access to, and use of, scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources in developing countries for sustainable development: legal and policy issues.

Chair: María del Carmen Samayoa Grajeda, President, Academy of the Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Guatemala (Guatemala).

Rapporteur: Alexander M. de Sherbinin, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), (USA).

4.1. “The copyright conundrum: producing and accessing education & health resources in the global south”, Alan Story, Chairperson, The Copy South Research Group, (UK).

4.2. “Towards a National Policy for scientific and technological information”, Anna María Prat Trabal, BIREME, (Chile).

4.3. “Restrictive Copyright Laws and an Alternative to Open Scientific Information: Science Commons”, Pedro Paranaguá, “Getulio Vargas” Foundation, (Brazil).

4.4. General Discussion.

16:40 - 17:00 Coffee - Break.

17:00 – 18:00 Session 5. Thematic presentation: “Access to knowledge in the digital age, an introduction to eIFL.net programs and services”, Monika Segbert-Elbert, Member of the Management Board, Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL), (UK).

18:30– 20:00 Reception.

* Thursday, 4 September.

9:00 – 10:10 Session 6. Panel Discussion on challenges in open access to, and use of, scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources in developing countries for sustainable development: institutional and economic issues.

Chair: Victor J. Sánchez Urrutia, Vice President of the Panamanian Association for the Advancement of Science (APANAC), (Panama).

Rapporteur: Leslie Chan, Associate Director, Bioline International (Canada)

6.1. “Emerging institutional models for providing Open Access to scientific information”, Paul F. Uhlir, Director, Office of International S&T Information Programs, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), (USA).

6.2. “The effects of Open Access Journals on the access to and dissemination of scientific information”, Lewis Joel Greene, Editor, Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, (Brazil).

6.3. “Institutional repositories supporting research”, Barbara E. Kirsop, Trustee and Secretary, Electronic Publishing Trust for Development, (UK).

6.4. General Discussion.

10:10 - 10:30 Coffee – Break.

10:30 – 13:00 Session 7. Panel Discussion on initiatives for improving access to scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources in Cuba: focus in education.

Chair: Xiao Yun, Director of Internet-based Science Communication Center, Computer Network Information Center (CNIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Rapporteur: Nanci E. Oddone, Head of the Information Science Graduate Program, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), (Brazil)

7.1. “Contributions of Cuba to the Literacy Decade: Yo si puedo and Yo si puedo seguir Programs”, Jorge Tamayo Collado, Latin American and the Caribbean Pedagogical Institute (IPLAC), (Cuba)

7.2.”EDUNIV, the Publishing House for Electronic Texts of the Ministry of Higher Education of Cuba (MES)”, Raúl G. Torricella Morales, Director, EDUNIV, (Cuba).

7.3. Presentation on the University of Informatics Sciences (UCI), Luis Guzmán Hernández, Head of Infrastructure, (UCI), (Cuba).

7.4. Presentation on Youth Computing Clubs, Miguel A. Ramón Rodríguez, (Youth Computing Clubs), (Cuba).

7.5. “The Cuban Network of Science: conception and main results”, Francisco A. Fernández Nodarse, Head of the Project, (CITMATEL), (Cuba).

7.6 “Cuba Ciencia harvester: a project to align the selection and organization of contents for the Cuban Network of Science with the principles and technological foundations of Open Access”, Ricardo Casate Fernández, Director, National Library of Science and Technology, (IDICT), (Cuba)

7.7 “Information system for Cuban R&D Program Management”, Orlando E. Sánchez León, Center for Management of Priority Projects and Programs (GEPROP), Cuba

7.5. General Discussion.

13:00 – 14:15 Lunch.

14:15 – 15:45 Session 8. Panel Discussion on initiatives for improving preservation of, and access to, scientific literature and other digital scientific information resources in developing countries: focus on health.

Chair: Jorge A. Huete Pérez, Vice President of the Nicaraguan Association for Science, (Nicaragua).

Rapporteur: Paul F. Uhlir, Director, Office of International S&T Information Programs, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), (USA).

8.1. “The Virtual Health Library of Cuba (VHL Cuba)”, Gustavo Kourí Cardellá, National Medical Sciences Information Center (INFOMED), (Cuba).

8.2. “SciELO: the case of a successful program. Evolution and perspectives”, Anna María Prat Trabal, BIREME, (Chile).

8.3. Presentation on SciELO and Science Commons, John Wilbanks, Executive Director, Science Commons, (USA).

8.4. “The Virtual Health University of Cuba”, Francisca M. Diego Olite, National Medical Sciences Information Center (INFOMED), (Cuba).

8.5. General Discussion.

15:45 - 16:00 Coffee – Break.

16:00 – 17:30 Session 9. Sessions reports, closing remarks and conclusions.

Chair: Sergio Jorge Pastrana, Foreign Secretary, Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC), (Cuba).

9.1. Summary of discussions by Rapporteurs.

9.2. Closing remarks, Michael T. Clegg, Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), (USA).

9.3. Conclusions, Ismael J. Clark Arxer, President, Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC), (Cuba).