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Zendy - Accessibility, affordability, and discoverability for scholarly literature in Africa.
Speaker profile
Kamran Robert Kardan is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge E. He founded Knowledge E in 2012, to provide unique, professional, and high-quality services to the information professionals in the Middle Eastern region and beyond.
He is also the Co-founder and Managing Director at Zendy, an organization that is focused on making academic research affordable and accessible around the world.
Kamran has 20 years of experience working in the publishing industry on both the publisher and agency front. Working closely with some of the top consortia, libraries, ministries, hospitals and corporations within research and education in the region, he has experienced the birth and growth of many digital libraries. Driven by his interest in learning societies, he has initiated and participated in the completion of various special development projects.
Kamran holds a BSc in Engineering, an MSc in Marketing with a thesis on ‘Open Access publishing business models’ as well as an MBA from the University of Manchester with a dissertation on ‘The application of Business Model Canvas in university research offices’.
Kamran plays a major active role in the Knowledge E Foundation, a community interest corporation focusing on supporting education and research-based projects across the globe, with a focus on developing nations.
Questions that would be addressed during the session
1. How does Zendy ensure that scholarly literature remains accessible to diverse communities across Africa, especially in regions with limited internet connectivity?
2. Could you provide examples of specific initiatives or partnerships Zendy has undertaken to improve the affordability of academic research materials for students and researchers in Africa?
3. What strategies does Zendy employ to enhance the discoverability of scholarly literature within African academic institutions and communities?
4. In what ways does Zendy address language barriers to ensure that scholarly content is accessible to researchers who speak languages other than English in Africa?
ORCID is the persistent identifier for researchers to share their accomplishments (research articles, data, etc with funding agencies, publishers, data repositories, and other research workflows.
AfricArXiv is a community-led digital archive for African research communication. By enhancing the visibility of African research, we enable discoverability and collaboration opportunities for African scientists on the continent as well as globally.
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