icddr,b Institutional Knowledge Repository IKR (DSpace)

Overview

The icddr,b Institutional Knowledge Repository (IKR) is the open-access digital repository of icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh), an internationally recognized health research institute headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The repository is built on the DSpace open-source platform and serves as the primary channel through which icddr,b makes its scholarly output freely available to researchers and the public worldwide.

History and Founding

icddr,b traces its institutional roots to the SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory established in 1960. The organization was formally constituted in its current form in 1979. As part of its commitment to open science and knowledge dissemination, icddr,b developed the IKR to provide centralized, free online access to its growing body of publications. The DSpace-based repository was among the earliest institutional repositories in Bangladesh, alongside BRAC University's repository, and is listed in the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR).

Collections and Holdings

The IKR contains the full range of icddr,b's scholarly output, organized by community, collection, author, and publication date. Holdings include peer-reviewed journal articles, annual reports, policy briefs, health science bulletins, scientific reports, and working papers. Coverage spans icddr,b's research areas including diarrhoeal disease, nutrition, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and public health systems research. The repository includes a substantial body of longitudinal demographic and health data outputs from icddr,b's Matlab field site, one of the world's longest-running rural demographic surveillance systems.

Access and Usage

The repository is freely accessible online at dspace.icddrb.org. While many records are available without restriction, access to some full-text scientific publications requires registration through the MyIKR system. Users can browse by community, collection, author, or publication date, or use the repository's search function. The platform is periodically upgraded to improve functionality and user experience.

Significance

As one of the leading research institutes of the Global South, icddr,b accounts for approximately 18 percent of Bangladesh's total scientific publications according to Thomson Reuters Web of Science data. The IKR plays a critical role in making this research accessible to policymakers, healthcare practitioners, and researchers in resource-limited settings where journal subscription costs create barriers to access.