AMSTERDAM. - January 26, 2009 - The Elsevier Foundation has announced today that it has committed a total of $555,000 in grants to ten institutions from around the world in support of initiatives that promote the work of libraries and scholars in science, technology and medicine. The winning proposals were selected from over 165 applicants worldwide for their innovation and potential for impact in the developing world, nursing community and academic workplace. This year’s grants also include the newly launched Nurse Faculty Mentored Leadership Development Program.

Four grants have been awarded under the Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries program. The winners include institutions across Africa and Asia, dedicated to improving access to scientific information, developing information resources, and training librarians and researchers on how to use and deploy information for patient care, HIV/AIDS research, and agricultural development.

The winning proposals for the Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries grant are:

• Collaborative Digital Reference Service System (CDRSS) for University Libraries in China: An Exploratory Study, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  
• Information and Library Needs Assessment to support the Orotta School of Medicine, Physicians for Peace and GWU Medical Center Training project in Eritrea, George Washington University Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library
  
• Building on an operational health network to develop a health information library network in Cameroon Centre International de Reference "Chantal Biya" (CIRCB)
  
• Creating an Integrated Library System (ILS) Using Open Source Software KOHA for BRAC, University Library, Aysha Abed Library BRAC University

The winning proposals for the New Scholars grant are:

• AWIS Leading Women to create their own Personal Work/life Balance, Association for Women in Science (AWIS)
  
• Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, American Physical Society
  
• Child Care & Mentoring Support at the Annual Evolution Conference, University of the Pacific, Stockton California and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington New Zealand
  Childcare at the EMBO Meeting, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  
• A Program for the Personal and Professional Development of Women Scientists in Georgia, Maternal and Childcare Union Tbilisi Georgia

"This year's Foundation grant recipients have proposed extremely promising programs that will have both immediate and long-lasting impacts on different parts of the research and scientific communities," said Y.S. Chi, Vice Chairman of Elsevier.  "Guided by our mission to make genuine contributions to science and health communities, Elsevier is proud to partner with these organizations and support their efforts."

Notes to Editors:
Full project descriptions are available at www.elsevierfoundation.org. Please visit www.elsevierfoundation.org or contact newsroom@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. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Elsevier

Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

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