07-Oct-2007
[October 7, 2007 – Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Hong Kong] Europe Container Terminals (ECT), a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, is pleased to announce the company has pledged its support to the Erasmus Medical Center for the Rotterdam research project, Generation R, with a donation in the amount of 2.25 million Euros, over a three-year period. A cheque presentation ceremony was organised to coincide with ECT’s 40th anniversary celebration.
Generation R is one of the world’s most famous epidemiologic research projects. It concerns 10,000 children of different ethnic backgrounds in the City of Rotterdam. The research covers the growth, development and health of children from early pregnancy to young adulthood. The aim of the project is to find out why some children develop optimally and others do not, and to identify some of the factors that can help improve such development. Research results will contribute to the health and care of children growing up in Rotterdam and worldwide.
Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony, John Meredith, Group Managing Director of HPH, said, “The HPH Group has a long history of participating in community projects in the places we operate and, by supporting this project, we hope to contribute to the well-being of the tens of thousands of children growing up in the City of Rotterdam as well as those all over the world.”
Jan Westerhoud, President of ECT, said that the donation is a good way for the company to demonstrate its commitment to the city of Rotterdam. “We are aware of our social responsibilities. With the celebration of ECT’s 40th anniversary we feel this is a perfect moment for us to thank the community for their continued support.”
Generation R is unique because of the extensiveness of the data to be collected. The data will be measured from early pregnancy and collected from the multi-ethnic group of children participating in the project. Thousands of questionnaires, ultrasounds, medical specimens, and behavioural assessments have already led to important new insights. This is the first time a research and data collection project that has been conducted on this scale anywhere in the world.
The Generation R is being carried out by the Erasmus MC, the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and the Sophia Children’s Hospital in cooperation with the Municipal Health Services for Rotterdam and its environs.