BioMed Central, in partnership with Computer Aid International, will be hosting the third Open Access Africa conference at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, from 4-5 November 2012.

The conference will allow researchers, librarians, journal editors, funders and other decision-makers to share ideas on how open access publishing can support science and medicine in Africa. Open Access Africa 2012 will build on the outcomes from previous successful events, featuring open access expertise from the University of Cape Town, the rest of Africa and beyond. The themes will reflect the need for a clear message about what open access is, the importance of sustainable funding for African journals, and the complementary role of capacity building in research and in journal publishing.

The preliminary program outlines the key focuses during the two-day conference. Day one will begin with an ‘Open access overview’ that will discuss the current status and future plans, the rapidly changing policy environment and the institutional responses to the changing environment. The next session of the day, entitled ‘Capacity building’, will include talks on supporting the development agenda: research information for policy-makers and a non-academic audience, building expertise in journal publishing, capacity building in research and the role of technology.

Day two will start off with an ‘Open access advocacy’ session that will have detailed presentations and discussions on the power of social media and open data, the effects of making information available and the success of open access journal and Malaria Journal an open access success story. The day will be concluded with a session on ‘Funding open access’ which will review how well African research is funded and will discuss the importance of how funding publication is part of funding research. This program is subject to change however a finalised program will be announced shortly.

So far, Open Access Africa has an exciting selection of distinguished speakers who have not only hugely contributed to the field of open access in developing nations but are passionate about promoting global awareness.

Open Access Africa is free to attend. If you require further information then please contact oaafrica@biomedcentral.com or you can complete our online registration form to register your interest in attending.  Please visit our Open Access Africa website for the full preliminary program  Also please watch our OAA12 video, which includes highlights from our previous Open Access Africa conferences.