Purpose

Principles

Searchlighter’s declared mission is to continually broaden perspectives on:

➢    the value of research
➢    the maintenance of research results by organizations
➢    the potential for alternative sources of scholarly publishing

The vision within the organization is an enhanced and efficient capacity for mutual support between research institutions within their communities, interoperability across communities, and the development of new communities as needs change in the research communication environment.

The belief is that the perspectives Searchlighter is looking to broaden will be gained through processes supported by enlightened thinking and accessible solutions. 

Developments

Searchlighter joins the research communication environment at point when a great deal of work has been done recently and more is being carried out right now. The stated intention of the organization is to build on recent achievements in completed projects (e.g. RIOJA), contribute to work taking place in current projects (like DRIVER), and be available to play a part in new collaborative projects. Searchlighter wishes to build on this comes from a confidence that ongoing development will bring new frontiers in both community- and subject-based repositories, as well as publishing and ease of access content across communities.

Tasks

Searchlighter is specifically looking to support institutions and research groups develop the communication of their research profile, looking when possible to do this in the context of their communities, regardless of other borders. Searchlighter is looking to develop not just the purposes of research information but the effectiveness of the environment where it is communicated in an international, and especially a European, context.

Searchlighter will be actively facilitating institutions to share ideas even on what comprises a research profile appropriate to the coming decade, with direct reference to the changes ahead – REF in the UK, for instance.

Research

With a mind to its sense of purpose, Searchlighter is looking to carry out research that may further the enlightened thinking and accessible solutions to facilitate mutual support between research institutions that we seek along with other aspects of  our mission. This research should, when possible, be reviewed and published either externally or internally. Such publication will be ‘Green’ and as such based on standard Open Access principles as generally mandated by funders in recent times.