Imagine how much sooner Dr. Jonas Salk could have discovered the polio vaccine if in 1955 if he was on Facebook. Often, researchers work in a vacuum. They can be stuck on a problem blocking progress on their research that someone on the other side of the world has already solved. Yes, there’s a wealth of information online and in scientific journals, but what if there were one central place online where a researcher could ask a question and someone else could answer it?
Enter ResearchGATE, which its founder
Dr. Ijad Madisch (pictured) fairly describes as “Facebook for
scientists.” In close to two years of operation, ResearchGate has built a
social network of more than 250,000 researchers from 196 countries.
Over 1,000 subgroups have been formed for specific disciplines, and
60,000 research documents have been uploaded for sharing with others on
the site. These guys aren’t pretending they’re farmers.
“People ask a question, presenting an issue they have in the lab, and anyone can answer the question. This is happening on a daily basis,” said Madisch, who was in Silicon Valley this week drumming up support for ResearchGATE from researchers at universities and private research labs, while also networking with potential investors, although he added the company is currently “well funded.”
To read the full, original article click on this link: Researcher creates ‘Facebook for Scientists’ | VentureBeat
Author: Robert Mullins
