Amsterdam, 14 January 2010 – The Elsevier Foundation has announced the 2009 grant recipients, committing a total of $600,000 to twelve institutions from around the world to support the work of libraries and scholars in science, technology and medicine. The grant recipients were selected from 250 applicants worldwide for their innovation and potential for impact in the developing world, academic workplace and nursing community.
Innovative Libraries
Six new grants have been awarded under the Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries program. The award recipients include institutions across Africa and Asia, and demonstrate how information resources can be used to address a variety of development issues – emergency management, the environment, boosting authorship and research skills and the distribution of clinical care information:
- Developing a Service-Oriented Database of Cases of Emergency Management, JINAN University, China
- 'Librarians Without Borders®' E-Library Training Initiative Grant, Medical Library Association
- Transformation of ICIMOD's Traditional Library into a Mountain Learning and Information Center, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal
- Supporting Research Communities in Writing, Publishing and Sharing their Works in Thai Nguyen University, Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam
- Enhancing Access to Current Literature by Health Workers in Rural Uganda and Community Health Problem Solving, Makerere University, Uganda
- Increasing access to relevant health information for primary healthcare providers through Kenyan public libraries, Book Aid International
New Scholars
Within the New Scholars program, the Elsevier Foundation has awarded four new grants to a range of international institutions pioneering new approaches to childcare, mentoring, networking, and policy advocacy in order to support scholars during the early stages of their demanding careers in science and technology:
- Women Scientists in the Developing World Awards, Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS)
- STEM Family Travel Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Enhancing the Academic Climate for STEM Women Scholars through Family-Friendly Policies, UCLA Los Angeles
- Special Childcare Program, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
The International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration
An additional Elsevier Foundation grant has been awarded to the International Council on Nurses (ICN) and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) to hold "The International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration," a three day 2010 policy summit on the economic and health ramifications nurse faculty migration has had on both developing and developed countries. The summit will host thirty internationally recognized global nurse leaders who will commit to using the outcomes from the summit to advance the issue at the global level, consult with local entities on implementation, and coordinate and disseminate the results of local initiatives.
"Learning from past lessons, we know that nurse faculty migration may pose a high risk problem for many countries," said David Benton, Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses, "ICN and STTI welcome Elsevier's contribution to ensuring sound understanding of faculty migration so as to proactively manage the looming crisis and improve healthcare delivery by preparing sufficient numbers of nurses to meet the needs of the future."
"We are delighted by the breadth of the 2009 Foundation grant awards which promise to make both immediate and long term contributions to our science and health communities," said Y.S. Chi, Vice Chairman of Elsevier and CEO, Elsevier Science & Technology. "We view each of these projects as an opportunity to partner with innovative organizations around the world, supporting their critical efforts to address the global nursing shortage, the role of women in science and the developing world access to research and clinical health information. Each year the Elsevier Foundation strives to identify projects and regions where we can help make the most difference."
Notes to Editors:
Full project descriptions are included below. Please visit www.elsevierfoundation.org or contact foundation@elsevier.com for further information.
About The Elsevier Foundation
The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to institutions around the world, with a focus on support for the world's libraries and for scholars in the early stages of their careers. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 50 grants worth over a million dollars to non-profit organizations working in these fields. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. The Elsevier Foundation is funded by Elsevier, a leading global publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. www.elsevierfoundation.org
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher 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 (www.thelancet.com) and Cell (www.cell.com), and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com), Scopus (www.scopus.com), Reaxys (www.reaxys.com), MD Consult (www.mdconsult.com) and Nursing Consult (www.nursingconsult.com), which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite (www.scival.com) and MEDai's Pinpoint Review (www.medai.com), which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier (www.elsevier.com) employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).