05/12/2008

Significant research and academic bodies, including the National Documentation Centre (EKT) joined forces to extend the use of the applications of free software/open software in Greece: they founded EL/LAK, a non-profit company promoting Free Software / Open Source Software in the area of education, the public sector and enterprises in Greece.

The company, responding to the increasing interests in the benefits of the use of free software, constitutes a centre of knowledge and a dial up platform for Free /Open Source Software. The actions it will undertake include:
- awareness of the public as to the benefits of free/open source software
- promotion of co-operation among all bodies involved in Free /Open Source Software in Greece, or interested in entrepreneurial activity in the sector
- establishment of monitoring centre for Free /Open Source Software in Greece
- co-ordination of volunteer programmers to compose the basic trunk for the development and materialisation of software and applications
- support of entrepreneurial models based on Free /Open Source Software
- technical support of Free /Open Source Software applications, developmet of support office for users, hellenisation of software, development of a glossary/ auxiliary applications.

For the realisation of the above-mentioned aims, EL/LAK will co-operate with the Greek community of users/developers of Free /Open Source Software applications, as well as with laboratories of secondary and higher educational institutes, national research centres, organisations and companies active in ICT, etc..

EL/LAK partners are: the Greek Research and Technology Network, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Research & Innovation Centre ATHENA, the National Documentation Centre, the National Technical University of Athens, the Research University Institute for Communication and Computer Systems, the Academic Network "GUNET?, the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Hellenic Company of Scientists and Professionals of Informatics and Communications, the NCSR Demokritos, the Technological Educational Institute of Athens, the Aegean University, the University of Macedonia, the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, the Technological Educational Institute of Kavala, the Technological Educational Institute of Larissa, the University of Patras, the Research Academic Institute of Computer Technology, the University of Peloponnesus, the Technological Educational Institute of Kalamata, The University of Crete and the Polytechnic School of Crete.

Source: EL/LAK