The online encyclopaedia can fill a resource gap for students, policymakers and the public, say Samuel A. Assefa and Alex Bateman.

The developing world is not well served by traditional research publishing, but can break new ground with open access, argues Leslie Chan.

Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan discusses how global cooperation on science can benefit a knowledge-hungry world.

Indian science is bureaucratic and needs to keep up with the demands of liberalisation, says M. Vijayan.

'Boundary organisations' offer a space away from politics for scientists to engage government officials with their research, says Scott Drimie.

Online tools reveal a lot about world science — except location. 'Geotags' can fill a knowledge gap and throw up surprises, says Nigel Pitman.

To see the research they fund in action, donors should work with good local governance, not informal networks, writes Justin O. Parkhurst.

Ambitious plans for a 'desert development corridor' in Egypt could provide a concrete example of the social value of science, says Athar Osama.

Young researchers in the developing world must get the support they need to help their countries alleviate poverty, argues Romain Murenzi.

The Islamic world needs new mechanisms that enable leaders to interact informally and share scientific knowledge, argues Athar Osama.

A conflict between climate adaptation and food security policies shows we must create the right conditions for change, says Blessings Chinsinga.

Africa's mobile Internet boom could revolutionise the way scientists, policymakers and the public interact, says Linda Nordling.

India's doctors and researchers must convince politicians that health research is vital, says Priya Shetty.

The current practice of keeping complexity out of scientific advice is misguided, inviting over-confidence and error, argues Andy Stirling.

Africa's academies should take a leading role in lobbying their governments for science funding, argues Linda Nordling.

It is time to turn our attention to mental health in poor countries, argues Priya Shetty.

Malaria researchers must join forces to present a clear and detailed call for the resources they need, say Ian Boulton and Steve Ward.

South Africa must build bottom-up needs-based policies for communal livestock grazing, says agricultural researcher Monique Salomon.

Listening to the public via citizen 'juries' is critical to creating sound science policies, say Alberto Diaz and Ricardo A. Ferraro.

A Ugandan S&T ministry would provide the country's science base with the clarity, cohesion and direction it needs, says Edward Tujunirwe.