Every innovator’s dream is free access to pertinent knowledge. Knowledge is the catalyst speeding up innovation, endlessly recombined and reused in novel applications. If we want cheaper and faster paced innovation, we should increase the availability of free knowledge and make accessing it as easy as possible. Unfortunately, the way our world works contravenes this in many ways.
Not only have university fees around the world skyrocketed (though exceptions like Germany do exist) but other ways to access knowledge have become unaffordable as well. Every year, billions of dollars in taxpayers’ money is being put into research around the entire globe. Once this research has been completed, it needs to be shared with others to have any value. Under the current publishing paradigm, however, this involves submitting the results to journals for publication, which can then demand thousands of dollars for access to published articles. The upshot? The average person cannot afford these knowledge-based innovation catalysts even though the research was paid for with their taxes.
From the publisher’s perspective, this arguably outdated system works well. And the best part of this model for those publishing the research is that, with the recent advent of digital publication, distribution outlays have sunk to practically zero.
Since the initial research is funded by someone else, this part costs the publisher nothing. Also the necessary peer reviewing of the paper is carried out by other scientists and is usually free for the publisher. Nowadays, articles can be put online after publishing, also costing the publisher very little. Some journals offer editorial services, but not all. So why is the price for an article so ridiculously high for so many research periodicals? Perhaps it reflects a world view when education and literacy was the domain of the wealthy minority. Perhaps it is just profit mongering.
For example, at the time of writing, publications such as the Journal of Comparative Neurology have annual subscription fees of around $30,000 for both the print and online publication. These preposterous fees have mobilised significant opposition as well as the rise of new publications that seek to make the peer reviewed research more accessible.
According to many people, this lack of access to knowledge holds back innovation and progress. It has provoked opposition from librarians, scientists and even politicians. Their stance provides inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people around the whole world to join forces and pry open the gates to humanity’s intellectual achievements.
The value that could be added to society via unlocking our intellectual resources through free knowledge is astronomical. If we look at the billions of dollars that are being invested in research around the world, then there are enormous opportunities for small businesses. Large corporations like Ford regularly develop more intellectual property than they can ever use, let alone what universities are producing!
We regularly hear about the Knowledge Economy being the driving force of 21st century economies, so what better way to drive our businesses forward than by making this knowledge free.
This post is an excerpt from my book Innovation Tools, available as an ebook at: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01F3NDLP4
Dr Evan Shellshear, CCO, Ebex Pty Ltd
