European Research Council Selects Elsevier’s SciVerse Scopus Database

Funding body will use publications and citations data to track success of funded projects

Amsterdam - Elsevier’s SciVerse Scopus database was selected by the European Research Council (ERC) to assist in the tracking and awarding of funding opportunities for researchers throughout the world. The ERC, the European funding body managing the ‘Ideas Programme of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme, chose SciVerse Scopus because it represents the largest abstract and indexing database of peer reviewed literature in the world, and is the only database that contains data related to arts and humanities literature.

Over the next four years, ERC consultants will use the data provided by SciVerse Scopus in combination with a research information system, to track the success of the projects funded by the ERC in terms of publications and citations. Information provided by SciVerse Scopus will also help the ERC to fund research based on scientific excellence and, in the long term, to substantially strengthen and shape the European research system.

“The ERC is a departure from conventional methods for implementing EU research programmes,” said Mr. Dr. Alexis-Michel Mugabushaka, Policy Analyst for the European Research Council. “To ensure that the ERC’s structures and mechanisms are appropriate and effective, an independent high level Panel has carried out a review, with the full involvement of the ERC’s Scientific Council. SciVerse Scopus data will help us to be both comprehensive and data-driven in our review.”

“The European Research Council is looking to support new ideas and creative researchers,” said Martin O’Malley, Managing Director Science & Technology Sales at Elsevier. “To realize this, both the feasibility of researchers’ visions before the funding process and the magnitude of their impact after funding must be assessed. We are proud to be selected by the ERC to help achieve the support of scientific ideas.”

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About theEuropean Research Council
Set up in 2007 by the EU, the European Research Council (ERC) is the first pan-European funding organisation for frontier research. It aims to stimulate scientific excellence in Europe by supporting the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age. The ERC also strives to attract top researchers from anywhere in the world to come to Europe. It funds both senior research leaders (“ERC Advanced Grants”) and younger, early-career top researchers (“ERC Starting Grants”). The ERC operates according to an “investigator-driven”, or “bottom-up”, approach and is open to any field of research. The ERC, the newest, pioneering component of the EU’s Seventh Research Framework Programme, has a total budget of € 7.5 billion from 2007 to 2013. It is led by a Scientific Council, composed of 22 top scientists and scholars.

About SciVerse Scopus
Covering the world’s research literature, SciVerse Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality Web sources with smart tools to track analyze and visualize research. SciVerse Scopus was designed and developed with over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from nearly 18,000 peer-reviewed journals from 5,000 publishers worldwide, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. In addition, SciVerse Scopus not only offers users citation information about the articles covered, but also directly integrates Web and patent searches. Direct links to full-text articles, library resources and other applications like reference management software, make SciVerse Scopus quicker, easier and more comprehensive to use than any other literature research tool.

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 and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).