Amsterdam Data Science and Elsevier Sign Long-Term Collaboration Agreement to Boost Local Data Science Scene

AMSTERDAM, November 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Focus on applying latest technology to search, share and reuse data

Network organization Amsterdam Data Science (ADS) signed an agreement with scientific information solutions provider Elsevier aimed at advancing data science research and education in Amsterdam. Both parties are embarking on a number of joint projects that will enable data scientists to access and share data and use the latest technology to collaborate and advance the field of data science together.

Kajsa Ollongren, Alderperson and deputy mayor of the City of Amsterdam, supports the initiative: "The partnership between Elsevier and Amsterdam Data Science is great news for Amsterdam as it helps us to further develop the city as a hub in data science and attracting international technology talent.  Seeing our best educational and research institutes teaming up with Netherlands-based multinational science & health data company Elsevier will boost Amsterdam's international competitive position and improve the overall data tech climate in the greater Amsterdam metro area."

ADS and Elsevier will collaborate together on several fronts, including research and development, joint promotion of Amsterdam as a data science center, and data science talent development. This partnership marks the first long-term collaboration agreement signed by ADS, an initiative of the University of Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica.

"Business and society are generating and storing more data than ever before", said Prof. Marcel Worring, Director of the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam. "The most-heard questions across sectors are how to find and use that data to gain new insights and make informed decisions, but also how to enable reproducibility of the data, deploy semantic technologies and create a safe data sharing environment. Answering these questions requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving partners from academics, business and society. ADS bundles these forces. In Elsevier we've found a partner that has a proven track record in deploying technology to analyze data, enable data sharing and reuse and facilitate collaboration among researchers."

"As a global technology company, we're engaging in data science and big data collaborations around the world", said Michiel Kolman, Senior Vice President Global Academic Relations at Elsevier. "But our company has its roots and its head office in the Netherlands so it's exciting to collaborate with ADS and local institutions to help develop our home city as a national and international data science hub, making it an even more attractive place for data science researchers. In addition to contributing to ADS' goals ourselves, we're looking forward to learn a lot from the companies and knowledge institutes that are part of the ADS network. Advancing data science is a multi-stakeholder endeavor."

A number of projects have already started. These are focused on improving data search and reproducibility of research that will ultimately result in higher quality research outcomes. These projects entail:

• Developing better methods and infrastructure to share data for scientific experiments, ensuring better reuse of data in a safe and trusted manner.
• Developing new search and discovery technologies for searching data underlying scientific experiments.
• Applying knowledge graph technology to, for instance, help researchers find funding for their research or identify new relations that were previously not detectable.

Both parties have committed to developing new projects together in the years to come, among other things providing corporate work experience programs for grad students and post-docs at Elsevier, and specialized Elsevier staff engaging in teaching the next generation data scientists.

About Amsterdam Data Science (ADS) 

ADS is a platform and network organisation initiated by four Amsterdam-based knowledge institutes: University of Amsterdam (UvA), VU University, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). The institutions are well-known for their world-class research and education on data science.  ADS accelerates data science research by connecting, sharing and showcasing world-class technology, expertise and talent from Amsterdam on a regional, national and international level. Our research enables business and society to better gather, store, analyse and present data in order to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contacts

Harald Boersma
Elsevier
+31-20-485-27-36
h.boersma@elsevier.com

Twan Eikelenboom (Monday through Thursday)
ADS
+31-624-55-20-12
t.w.eikelenboom@hva.nl