<div class="gmail_quote">[Forwarding from Bloomsbury Publishing. --Peter Suber.]<br><br><div lang="EN-GB" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div>
<p class="MsoNormal">APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Bloomsbury Publishing, Qatar Foundation and Qatar
National Research Fund (QNRF) today announced the launch of an ambitious new
scientific publishing house to be based in Doha, Qatar.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This initiative will extend the unique relationship between
Qatar Foundation and Bloomsbury. The new publishing house, Bloomsbury Qatar
Foundation Journals (BQFJ), will publish scientific research developed to the
highest international peer review standards in order to connect the international
research community to one of the fastest growing research and development
centres in the world.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The development follows the creation of a unique scientific
and research environment in Qatar. Together, the six existing universities in
Education City alongside other scientific and technical centres are a catalyst
for intellectual growth and technological advance. Through BQFJ,
state-of-the-art research facilities will be complemented by state-of-the-art
publishing, using the best technical, communications and editorial systems to
provide the basis for a world-leading research publishing programme for the
global scientific research community. The venture will largely adopt the Open
Access Publishing model and will cover all research subjects, including
medical, physical, engineering, Islamic and social sciences and the arts,
supported by a highly sophisticated technical infrastructure. Articles and
journals will be made available on the same platform as the institutional
repository, currently under development in Qatar.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bloomsbury has already established a book publishing
operation in partnership with Qatar Foundation that is set to become a major
regional and international publishing centre. Through the creation of a
scientific publishing centre, this will provide the seeds for a leading
publishing house based in the Middle East.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nigel Newton, Founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury,
will be Chairman of the Management Committee of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation
Journals, which will include Richard Charkin, Executive Director at Bloomsbury,
Non Executive Director at the Institute of Physics Publishing and formerly
Chief Executive of Macmillan/Nature Publishing Group and Kathy Rooney, Managing
Director of Bloomsbury Information and responsible for Bloomsbury Qatar
Foundation Publishing. Arend Küster, currently Business Development Director at
Bloomsbury, will be Managing Director of the Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation
Journals.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bloomsbury is also committed to establish knowledge-transfer
of publishing skills to Qatar, including a mentoring programme and the training
of Qatari interns each year in London and Doha.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Amer Al Saadi Research Advisor at Qatar
Foundation/ and Project Manager of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) said
that “We are pleased that over six months of intensive joint work on the
project feasibility have resulted in a mutually beneficial agreement to launch
scientific journals publishing. Everyone concerned in the project is ready to
go and both sides agreed to start work early in January 2010.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It is in the nature of scientific publishing to react
to the communication needs of the scientific community worldwide. The rapid
expansion of high quality research in the region necessitates the dissemination
of scientific knowledge through twenty-first century digital and print
channels. We are proud to be associated with the venture”,
commented Richard Charkin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nigel Newton said: "We are delighted to announce this
partnership with Qatar Foundation and the Qatar National Research
Fund. Publishing research articles in English and Arabic together with the
most advanced technical infrastructure will further Qatar’s leadership in
science and research beyond the region. This is an exciting project for all
parties.” </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For further Information please contact Arend Küster,
Business Development Director, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 36 Soho Square,
London W1D 3QY, T: +44 75907 13212, E: <a href="mailto:arend.kuester@bloomsbury.com" target="_blank">arend.kuester@bloomsbury.com</a></p></div></div></div>