Science platform ResearchGate launches COVID-19 community

BERLIN: ResearchGate, a social network site for scientists and researchers, has launched a new forum to facilitate collaboration between COVID-19 experts on research into beating the flu-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The site developed in 10 days and launched late last week, boosts the visibility of articles, pre-prints, and research proposals, as well as offering an expert finder to help build international or interdisciplinary project teams.

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“We have 11,000 COVID-19 researchers on ResearchGate - there are huge potential network effects between these scientists,” said Ijad Madisch, founder and CEO of the Berlin-based startup that has come to be known as ‘Facebook for scientists’.

ResearchGate, which is backed among others by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investment bank Goldman Sachs, has stirred up the staid world of scientific publishing by making it easier to share research that hasn’t yet been subjected to peer review.

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The COVID-19 research community features contributions, sorted by the newest, most read or most recommended, as well as an interactive question and answer panel to debate hot topics. Content moderation will follow soon, added Madisch.