Elsevier Offers Entire Collection of Journals and Books to Innovators in Developing Countries Through the Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI) Program

AMSTERDAM, September 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, now offers its entire collection of books and journals on its online platform ScienceDirect, as well as access to its abstracts and citation database Scopus to innovators in 105 countries for free or little cost through the ARDI (Access to Research for Development and Innovation) program.

Elsevier's contributions cover a vast array of scientific subject fields, with ARDI focusing on the use of mathematics, engineering, life sciences and physical sciences content by academic and research centers and government institutions, such as patent offices. Elsevier has provided access to select journals since it first participated in the program in 2009.

ARDI is coordinated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as part of the Research4Life program, a public-private partnership that includes United Nations agencies WIPO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM), leading academic libraries, and technology partner Microsoft.

In developing countries, local innovation is important to the success of national economies. Young scientists and their research institutions need to access the latest developments in technology found in scientific and technical literature before patenting and commercializing their inventions. However, without sufficient access to journals, their ability to learn from scientific information is limited; efforts are slow and arduous. Through ARDI, developing countries are given direct access to high-quality published content from several publishers allowing select academic and research institutions to develop and innovate more effectively, and patent offices to protect and reward innovation more efficiently.

"There is a growing demand for access to high quality technological information in developing countries which acts as a basis for development and innovation in these countries," said Yo Takagi, Assistant Director General of the Global Infrastructure Sector of WIPO. "This is an important element in the innovation process and in any eventual protection through patent rights. WIPO is keen to work with publishers to ensure that low-and-middle-income countries can play their full part in this vibrant economic landscape. In this respect, Elsevier's new contribution to ARDI, which increases the program content over ten-fold by more than 2,000 journals and close to 7,000 e-books, is a major step forward in realizing this goal."

"We are delighted to extend our partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization and in this way to realize a shared vision for universal access to quality research content," said Alicia Wise, Director of Universal Access at Elsevier. "We are dedicated to advancing innovative research everywhere."

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About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the leading global forum for the promotion of intellectual property as a force for innovation and creativity to achieve positive change. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 185 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society's evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information. 

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Tom Reller
Vice President, Global Corporate Relations, Elsevier
+1-215-239-3508
t.reller@elsevier.com