Deal gives access for tropical medicine researchers in developing world

In a new five-year agreement Elsevier and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam will provide 150 researchers working in least-developed and low-income countries with access to ScienceDirect and Scopus.

The deal includes researchers in countries like Benin, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Togo working in fields such as tropical medicine and sustainable development. The scientists can apply the information available in ScienceDirect and Scopus to the treatment and prevention of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; promoting rural development with improved water, sanitation and food security; and other areas relevant to the UN Millennium Development Goals.

As an integral part of this initiative, KIT’s Information & Library Service (KIT ILS) facilitates a closed Virtual Knowledge Community on information management to share best research practices and identify issues of common interest. First piloted in 2007, this joint Elsevier - KIT initiative provides the Virtual Knowledge Community members in African, Caribbean, Asian and Pacific countries with access to ScienceDirect’s 10 million full-text articles and Scopus’ abstract and citation database.