WIPO’S ARDI Research for Innovation Programme joins Research4Life
18/Oct/201113 October 2011 -The Research4Life partnership, which enables free or low cost online access in
the developing world to vital scientific research, is joined today by the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO), making its ARDI (Access to Research for Development and Innovation)
programme the fourth programme in the partnership. Launched in 2009, ARDI was developed together
with 12 major scientific and technical publishers in close cooperation with the Research4Life
programmes, which include WHO's HINARI (Access to Research in Health), FAO's AGORA (Access to
Global Online Research in Agriculture) and UNEP's OARE (Online Access to Research in the
Environment). With a particular focus on applied science and technology, the ARDI programme seeks
to reinforce the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global knowledge economy
and to support researchers in developing countries in the innovation process to create and develop
new solutions to technical challenges faced on a local and global level.
Kimberly Parker, Chair of the Research4Life Executive Council and HINARI Programme Manager
says: “Researchers in low-income countries will now have access to the source materials that will
help fuel their own technological breakthroughs. We’re delighted that ARDI is now the fourth pillar
of Research4Life.” ARDI brings to the Research4Life partnership not only WIPO’s expertise and
resources in the area of knowledge infrastructure, including its powerful free PATENTSCOPE patent
search service, but also a growing network of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs)
based in universities and research centers around the world, whose trained staff support local
users in effectively accessing and exploiting technological knowledge. According to a statement by
Mr. Yo Takagi, WIPO Assistant Director General, “ARDI represents an important contribution by WIPO
to the establishment of a solid and accessible global knowledge infrastructure. By joining the R4L
partnership, ARDI will be in a position to foster an active exchange of ideas and technologies, the
underpinning of sustainable long-term development, on a global scale.”
For more information visit: http://www.wipo.int/ardi/en/