| FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open Source Software) is arguably one of the best examples of open, collaborative, internationally distributed production and development. FLOSS provides numerous benefits for developing countries, such as low cost, adaptability, and a free-of-charge high quality training environment, as shown by the FP6 FLOSSWORLD study.
The FLOSSInclude project aims to strengthen Europe’s participation in international research in FLOSS and open standards, by studying what is needed to increase the deployment, development and societal impact of FLOSS in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The project will result in a sound understanding of the FLOSS-related needs of the target regions.
It will federate local and regional development initiatives with the support of cooperation with current EU research. It will also provide a roadmap for future EU research cooperation in this area. To achieve these objectives, the FLOSSInclude project will perform five core tasks: 1. analysis of available data to identify key problem areas and areas of blocked potential for FLOSS in the target regions 2. dissemination and networking, to identify and federate local and regional initiatives 3. requirements analysis, to show with concrete cases the specific technical, business and socio-political needs for the growth of FLOSS use, deployment and development in target regions 4. pilots, to ensure that FLOSS solutions, tools and services can be cost-effective and practical 5. prepare a cooperation roadmap, supported by regional initiatives, concrete cases for clearly identified requirements, with solution areas proposed that have been validated through pilots. Validated pilots and a coordinated roadmap for future EU development research cooperation will ensure that the impact of FLOSSInclude will be sustained far beyond the duration of the project. |
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