Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The acquisition is expected to be finalised soon, at which time – subject to approval by the Registrar of Companies – the group will change its name to Cambridge University Press India Pvt Ltd.

Foundation Books is Cambridge’s sole importer and distributor of books covering India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the agent for Cambridge Journals in India. It is Cam-bridge’s principal licensee and publishing partner for a wide range of low-cost editions for students in South Asia.

Manas Saikia, managing director of Foundation Books, began his association with Cambridge University Press in 1985 after spells with Oxford University Press, Springer Verlag and the British Council.

Establishing Foundation Books, initially as an importer of Cambridge Journals to help overcome severe difficulties of supply in the late eighties, was a natural step for Saikia. Importing books, licensing and co-publishing activities were all added to the mix.

Foundation Books also provides support services for Cambridge International Ex-aminations (CIE) and for the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of other Languages Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) in marketing their examinations in India and neighbouring countries. CIE and Cambridge ESOL have offices within Foundation Books’ premises.

Foundation Books Pvt Ltd imports and sells books from publishers other than Cam-bridge University Press, and will continue to provide this service.

The investment and management resources available through Cambridge University Press’s strategic stake will enable Foundation Books to build further on its already strong position in the educational and academic sectors.

Foundation Books started publishing locally focused educational and English Language Teaching (ELT) products under its own imprint in 2002. Since then, this has become a significant part of the business.

Among the highlights of Foundation’s list is Songs of Ourselves, an anthology of Poems published for CIE. A Course in Listening and Speaking Book 1 + CD is the most widely used of Foundation’s locally-originated titles, being prescribed by eleven universities for all undergraduate students. The second book in this series is to be published in 2006.

Cambridge University Press is the publishing house of the University of Cambridge.

It is an educational charity established to advance learning, knowledge and research worldwide through printing and publishing.

Its activities today span much of the world, and its enhanced presence in India is intended to improve access for Indian learners, authors and researchers to the best of scholarship and educational publishing from around the globe.

Cambridge University Press India Pvt Ltd will become a base for publishing fine educational materials for other countries in Asia and elsewhere, under both the Cambridge and Foundation imprints.