Philadelphia, PA -- May 14, 2021. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering, the University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), and the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF) announced the launch of a new initiative – titled Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) – which will serve as a force multiplier for high-impact research on society's grand challenges. Managed by UIDP and funded with a five-year, $8 million award from NSF, ERVA will convene engineering voices to prioritize topics for innovative research that both benefits society and leads to a more secure and sustainable world.

UIDP and ERVA will leverage a sophisticated operational model for ideation activities. Elsevier will serve as the initiative's primary research intelligence partner, employing its data analytics tools to help illuminate the leading edge of engineering research.

"The challenges we face as a nation require interdisciplinary approaches and engineering R&D to develop effective solutions. Identifying and accelerating opportunities requires synthesizing input from multiple stakeholders and data sources. UIDP has brought together a network of trusted partners, including Elsevier, to catalyze and inform ERVA priorities in service of these grand challenges," said Anthony Boccanfuso, President and CEO of UIDP and ERVA Co-Principal Investigator

Ann Gabriel, Senior Vice President for Global Strategic Networks, Elsevier said: "We are proud to be a research intelligence partner to UIDP and ERVA, and look forward to contributing our expertise, data and analytics solutions in service of the initiative, which we believe will empower the many stakeholders in the engineering community to jointly identify societally impactful research priorities for the United States and beyond."

ERVA was created as the first engineering research visioning organization of its kind, which aims to provide the engineering community with a process for identifying bold and societally beneficial engineering research directions that will place the U.S. in a leading position to realize a better future for all. It is an engaged, inclusive, and multilayered partnership, bringing together stakeholders in government, academia, industry, professional societies, and the public sector to enable the engineering research community to impact national research priorities with a unified voice. Read more

About Elsevier

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Elsevier employs 8,100 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our 2,500+ digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our 40,000 eBook titles; and our iconic reference works, such as Gray's Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research and healthcare in developing countries and around the world.

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