Research4Life is central to Elsevier’s goal of achieving universal access to scientific, technical and medical research information. As a founding partner and the leading contributor, we make all of SciVerse ScienceDirect - including over 2,000 journals and 6,000 books - available through Research4life. In 2011 alone, this resulted in over 3 million downloads from SciVerse ScienceDirect. Working together with a critical mass of partners, we contribute to our mutual goal of fostering a strong and independent research culture in the developing world - one that is fully integrated into the international research community with sustainable economic development and enhanced quality of life.
Research4Life, a unique public-private partnership of United Nations agencies, universities, publishers and technology partner Microsoft, is at the center of Elsevier’s Corporate Responsibility program. Research4Life has four main programs – HINARI, AGORA, OARE, ARDI – that provide research for free or at low cost to institutions in the Global South. In 2007 all of the partners formerly extended their commitment to reaching 6 of the UN’s 8 internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Lenny Rhine training doctors and researchers in Swaziland
Research4Life Training: Building a Global Research Culture
Through a series of grants from the Elsevier Foundation, MLA’s Librarians Without Borders (LWB) program have been able to provide a a series of “Train the Trainer” workshops across the Global South and a E-Library Training Initiative distance course. LWB coordinator, Lenny Rhine, University of Florida Librarian Emeritus works closely with the WHO and ITOCA to ensure maximum training reach and synergies. Distance and onsite training have proven to be the most effective way of increasing usage of the scholarly publications available through Research4Life. Watch the video
Taskforces
In 2007, Elsevier initiated a communications taskforce of publishers and partners to boost the visibility of Research4Life. Projects have included a formal rebranding, films, bylined articles, panel discussions at science conferences, press releases, a website launch and research output press briefings. In addition to communications, colleagues throughout Elsevier are involved in Research4Life taskforces on access, authentication, metrics and training. Interested in learning more? Contact Ylann Schemm, Corporate Relations Manager, Elsevier.
Hot off the Press: January 2012 Find out how doctors, nurses, researchers, and agriculturalists in the Global South have used Research4Life to improve on the ground practice and join the global research community. These 10 case studies represent some of the finest entries from the 10 year anniversary "Access to Research Competition".
Read Research4Life's strategic plan, Beyond the 2015 Horizon. The plan is drawn from extensice external reviews conducted in 2010 on the program's infrastructure, partners and usage.
