Elsevier, a unit of the global Scientific/Technical/Medical publisher Reed Elsevier, has acquired Knovel.com, an online subscription reference service providing highly technical data primarily aimed at engineers. Founded in 2001 by Chris Forbes, Knovel partners with more than 100 STM publishing partners to delivers technical information and analytical tools to more than 800 institutional clients around the world.

Forbes called the acquisition, “a great new chapter for Knovel. The acquisition gives us an exciting way to expand Knovel's technology, innovation and comprehensive content selected from the best engineering publishers and societies to more organisations across the world.”

Alexander van Boetzelaer, managing director of Elsevier Corporate Markets, said the acquisition will provide an “enhanced experience for our customers as they work to overcome engineering challenges and improve technical outcomes.” He also emphasized that “Knovel’s comprehensive list of content contributors, engineering-specific search, and tools such as interactive graphs, together with Elsevier’s deep engineering content base and global market reach, will allow us to deliver an even more comprehensive and better integrated solution for engineers and engineering students.”