What we do
SciDev.Net is committed to putting science at the heart of global development.
SciDev.Net's website is the world’s leading source of reliable and authoritative news, views and analysis on information about science and technology for global development.
We engage primarily with development professionals, policymakers, researchers, the media and the informed public.
Our head office is based in the UK but we have six editions: Sub-Saharan Africa English, Sub-Saharan Africa French, Latin America & Caribbean, Asia & Pacific, Middle-East & North Africa and Global.
SciDev.Net an independent news network operated by CAB International (CABI) - a not-for-profit organisation established under a United Nations treaty agreement and registered with the United Nations as an international treaty on 11th January 1988.
Strategic objectives
The purpose of our strategy for 2013–2017 is to encourage science and technological awareness in policies, programmes and projects that contribute to the wellbeing of the poor in the developing world. We hope to achieve this by facilitating access to information that is useful and trustworthy, as well as supporting the capacity to deliver and sustain this mainstreaming strategy.
In our new strategic focus we will commit our core business capacities to convening the science community, mainstream development stakeholders and public policy in developing countries.
Based on research around our Global Review 2012 there are four key supporting factors that SciDev.Net can provide to facilitate the mainstreaming of more science and technology evidence for development.
Our work provides:
- Access to accurate, understandable information for an audience interested in supporting the improved well-being of the poor in the global South
- Analysis of research findings, exploring socioeconomic implications and facilitating local relevance
- Capacity to support and sustain uptake of research, including working with partners to provide specialist training on communicating science
- Space and incentives for key relationships with champions of science and technology
A commitment to accuracy
Accuracy is fundamental to SciDev.Net, so we strive to make sure that our output is well sourced, based on sound evidence and presented clearly. We avoid speculation and endeavour to be honest about the limits of our knowledge. We ensure accuracy by checking and crosschecking facts and figures, as well as by using reputable sources.
A commitment to fairness
SciDev.Net makes every effort to be open, honest and straightforward in its dealings with contributors, audiences and the people and institutions we feature in our content. As a media outlet, we understand our legal obligations and respect confidentiality. Individuals and organisations represented in our output will always have a right to reply. We have a robust complaints procedure.
A commitment to impartiality
Impartiality is a key to our work and so is applied across all our editorial output. Where possible, we strive to avoid bias on controversial subjects. We believe in editorial integrity and independence. Our editorial impartiality is not influenced by political or commercial pressures. Our funding arrangements do not affect our editorial decisions.
A commitment to respecting privacy
We believe that all our audience has a right to privacy and dignity.Where we create our own multimedia content or take photographs, we ask people featured for their consent. We do not make secret recordings. We do not pass on contributors’ personal details, comments or personal information to third parties without consent from the contributor. We respect our legal obligations under the United Kingdom’s Data Protection Act 1998.
A commitment to equitable and sustainable development
We want to see a more equitable and just world and recognise the importance of the concept of wellbeing in global development. Above all, SciDev.Net is committed to supporting the contribution that science and technology can make to global development through access to and interrogation of the knowledge that underpins it.
SciDev.Net originated from a project set up by news staff at the journal Nature, with financial assistance from the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development (DfID). The SciDev.Net website was officially launched on 3 December 2001.
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.
Find out more about our work in our annual reviews
