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Overview

 

Introduction

SciDev.Net – the Science and Development Network – is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing reliable and authoritative information about science and technology for the developing world.

Through our website www.scidev.net we give policymakers, researchers, the media and civil society information and a platform to explore how science and technology can reduce poverty, improve health and raise standards of living around the world.

We also build developing countries’ capacity for communicating science and technology through our regional networks of committed individuals and organisations, practical guidance and specialist workshops.

Our main office is based in London but we have a worldwide network of registered users, advisors, consultants and freelance journalists, predominantly from developing countries, who drive our activities and vision.

SciDev.Net is a company limited by guarantee and a registerd charity in England and Wales. (registered charity number 1089590)

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Vision

SciDev.Net's vision is to achieve better-informed decisions by individuals and organisations in the developing world on science- and technology-related issues, and thus the better integration of scientific knowledge and technological innovation into policies, programmes and projects intended to achieve sustainable development at all levels of society.

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Activities

  • Our website

Our free-access website, written mainly by Southern-based contributors, reports on and analyses the latest developments in science and technology that affect the developing world.

  • Our regional networks

SciDev.Net reflects the needs and interests of developing countries by building regional networks. Local freelance journalists, researchers and policymakers increasingly provide our regional coverage, bringing developing country perspectives to all of the issues that we cover. These networks include our regional consultants, advisors and partner organisations.

  • Science communication workshops

Together with local partners, we train people to communicate science better. Our workshops are often on specific topics and tailored for science journalists and communicators.   

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Website content

  • Articles

Our global network of freelance contributors, working with a team of editors and sub-editors, ensures timely and accurate coverage of breaking science news. We also publish longer news features, examining the ideas, people and projects that define the international scientific agenda, together with opinions and editorials intended to inform and spark debate. We also provide free access to selected papers and articles published in the journals Nature and Science and summarise items from other reputable sources.

  • Topic gateways

Our website provides ‘gateways’ to specific topics, bringing together news updates and analysis on key issues, in-depth information and further resources. Each gateway is divided into sub-topics to help users find the information they want quickly and easily. These include relevant news and opinion articles, annotated links to policy briefs and other organisations, and summaries of key documents available through the World Wide Web.

  • Regional gateways

Our regional gateways bring together news, feature, and opinion articles as well as links and notices relevant to China, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, South-East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.  

  • Your views

We are committed to providing people, particularly in the developing world, with a platform for expressing their views on the topics that we cover. Each of our articles has a comment section. You will need to be signed-up with us in order to post a comment, and can choose whether or not to display your organisation and email address. If you would like to contribute an opinion article, or write a letter to the editor commenting in greater depth, please visit our contact page for more details.

  • Notices

SciDev.Net provides a free listing service for announcements, events, jobs and grants relating to science, technology and development.  If you have a notice that you would like to be included, visit our ‘Post a Notice’ facility or request a form by emailing info@scidev.net

  • Email Alerts

By signing up with us you can select from a range of email alerts available in English, Spanish, Chinese and French. Our regular weekly email summarises the most recent items posted on the website. Our monthly emails provide specialised topic or regional content in either full-text or summary versions. Signing up with us is free and we never pass on personal details without your consent. See our privacy policy for more information.

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Our commitments

We are committed to:
  • editorial independence;
  • free access;
  • constructive dialogue on science and technology-related issues; and
  • efficient use of other data and information sources.

Implementing these commitments includes:

  • addressing the information needs of a range of communities, including scientists, journalists, decision makers, and those working in non-governmental organisations and international aid agencies;
  • providing perspectives and information of particular relevance to the developing world;
  • presenting information about scientific and technological activity in the developing world to a global readership;
  • covering a broad range of scientific and technological disciplines relevant to social and economic development and related policy issues;
  • fostering partnerships, networks and communities as a contribution to enhancing their role in science and technology communication and encouraging transparent governance; and
  • supporting capacity building for science communication in developing countries.
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Strategic objectives (2008-2012)

Our strategic objectives for the period 2008-2012, as approved by the SciDev.Net board of trustees in May 2007, are as follows.

  • To expand readership, both in terms of absolute numbers and the diversity of our audience.
  • To increase impact on those involved in the policy-making process around science, technology and innovation, in order to maximise the impact of our output on development goals – and in particular the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.
  • To build local capacity in the regions by enhancing the role of our regional networks and devolving greater editorial and administrative responsibility to them.
  • To create a more participatory technology platform, with greater opportunities for comment and dialogue, and ensure that, in expanding our activities, we are doing so in response to user demand.
  • To increase our efforts to provide free access to scientific research findings, for example by expanding our partnership agreements with scientific and medical journals.
  • To increase our strategic alliances with organisations that share our goals, both regionally and internationally, in order to increase the effectiveness with which we reach shared objectives.
  • To build a sound financial base for the organisation that provides increased financial support and thus enhanced sustainability.
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History

SciDev.Net originated from a project set up by news staff at the journal Nature (with financial assistance from the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom) to report on the World Conference on Science, held in Budapest in 1999. This was warmly received, leading to discussions about creating a permanent website devoted to reporting on, and analysing the role of, science and technology in development. The initiative was endorsed at a meeting held at the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) in Trieste, Italy, in October 2000.

Immediately following the Trieste meeting, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) agreed to finance a six-month planning stage, starting in November 2000. At the end of this planning stage, sufficient funding had been raised from international aid agencies and foundations for a full-time staff and an independent office in London.  The SciDev.Net website was officially launched on 3 December 2001.

The website has expanded continuously since its launch.  We regularly add dossiers, spotlights, 'quick guides' and 'news focuses' on specific subjects, in addition to a growing amount of regular news coverage. An enhanced and redesigned version of the website was launched in January 2008. 

Regional networks were launched in Sub-Saharan Africa (2002), in Latin America (2003), in South Asia (2004) and in China (2005), each bringing together individuals and organisations that share our goals and objectives. There are plans for future networks in the Middle East and North Africa, West Africa and South-East Asia.

SciDev.Net held its first workshop, in collaboration with the InterAcademy Panel, on science in the media in Tobago in February 2001. Since then we have collaborated with partners to deliver numerous specialist science communication workshops for journalists and other professional communicators across the world.

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Annual Reviews

For more detailed information about our recent history please see our annual reviews, available in PDF format:

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Information Services