PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, September 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Thomson Reuters, the world's leading provider of information for businesses and professionals, today announced a new three-year partnership with the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Research that will bring Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge(SM) - an integrated and versatile research platform - to scientists and researchers at more than 60 institutions across Algeria.

The partnership will provide research scientists in the country with access to the world's leading research citation databases with comprehensive indexes of more than 12,000 of the most influential journals worldwide and research dating back to 1900. The Web of Knowledge platform will become the main point of access to scientific literature for the country's research community and forms a key component of the government's initiative to enhance the country's research environment.

Algeria currently has 34 national research programs underway and has committed to spending 100 billion Dinars (US$1.48 billion) on science over five years. The investment will allow the country to double its expenditure on scientific research, from 0.5 to one per cent of its GDP, while the number of scientific researchers will increase from 21,000 to 28,000 and the number of scientific labs to 1,200.

According to an analysis of data from Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge, research papers linked to Algeria show a strong focus in the fields of materials science, chemistry, engineering and physics. During the period 2005-2009, Algeria published 687 research papers in the field of materials science, making it one of the largest producers of research in this field for the North Africa region.

Professor Hafid Aourag, head of Algerian National Research, said: "The Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Research is delighted to have reached an agreement with Thomson Reuters. I believe that this partnership will greatly benefit the entire Algerian academic community. The proven and unmatched quality of the data and tools offered by the Web of Knowledge will allow Algeria to fulfil its long term ambition to become a major player in the global research community. Our country is now well equipped to start supporting our plans for major national technological development."

Professor Nadjib Badache, director of CERIST, the Algerian Research Centre for Scientific and Technical Information, added: "The partnership with Thomson Reuters will open new avenues for Algerian researchers. We are highly confident of the success of this exciting and historic project for Algeria."

Keith MacGregor, executive vice president at Thomson Reuters, commented: "Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge has a growing presence among the leading institutions in North Africa. We are pleased to partner with the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Research to build on the country's strong research ethic and, ultimately, to advance its position in the international research community."

Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge is an integrated and versatile search and discovery platform that delivers access to the world's leading scholarly information in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, as well as providing metrics and analytical tools for assessing research influence and impact. For more information about Web of Knowledge, please visit: http://wokinfo.com/

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, go to thomsonreuters.com.

About the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Research

The Ministry of Higher Education and Research established the Research Centre for Scientific and Technical Information (CERIST) in 1985 and the General Directorate for Scientific Research and Technological Development (DG-RSDT) in September 2009. CERIST is organized into administrative, technical departments and research divisions. In addition to its headquarters established in Algiers, the Centre has regional sites and liaison offices geographically distributed in the three main areas of the territory. CERIST is under the supervision of the Prime Minister and its main mission is to conduct any research on the creation, implementation and development of a national system of scientific and technical information. DG-RSDT was established under law # 08-05 which defines the five-year national scientific research plan (2008-2012), expected to move the country's national research system to a greater level of excellency on a more sustainable basis.  The DG-RSDT is the principal enabler of National Scientific Research and Development. It has the responsibility to put into action the directives related to the five-year plan. For more information, go to:  http://www.cerist.dz and http://www.nasr-dz.org

SOURCE Thomson Reuters