In January we began our Global Equitable Membership (GEM) Program to provide greater membership equitability and accessibility to organizations located in the least economically-advantaged countries in the world. Eligibility for the program is based on a member’s country; our list of countries is predominantly based on the International Development Association (IDA). Eligible members are able to join Crossref at no cost.
The list will undergo periodic reviews, as countries may be added or removed over time as economic situations change. Sri Lanka was added to the GEM program in March as they were recently recategorized to the IDA classification by the World Bank.
When the program launched earlier this year, we had close to 200 existing members eligible for the program who will no longer be charged for membership or content registration. Since January, we welcomed 50 new members through the program, including our first members from Togo and Benin.
With help from our ambassadors, we are meeting with organizations based in GEM-eligible countries to introduce the program along with the benefits of including their content in the Research Nexus - a rich and reusable open network of relationships connecting research organizations, people, things, and actions.