Re: [Fsfe-uk] free software and local authorities

[Andres Baravalle]

Kevin Donnelly wrote:
 > If you can give me a bit more info on what you are doing, and how 
the funding
> works, I may be able to get the ball rolling with one of the local 
> authorities here in Wales.

The University of Sheffield is going to make pilot tests on the use of 
free and open source software on desktops.

The tests will consist on transitions of units of public administrations 
to open source, starting from July. The University of Sheffield will 
study the environment before, during and after the transition. After the 
test the public administration will decide if the experiment went well 
or not, and can decide if apply the new paradigm to other units.

Similar tests will be done in the other countries participating to the 
project, involving at least 2200 desktops. Some partners, as the 
Province of Genova (Italy) already started. From their point of you it 
is not a test, but a full transition backed up both by the political 
authorities and by the technical management. In Genova it will be a 
2-step transition: first they will replace Microsoft Office with Open 
Office and later they will work on operating systems.

While we aim at full transitions to open source, including both the 
operative system and the office applications, for the first tests we can 
consider "half transitions", of just the office applications.

For what regards the funding, here are more extracts from SOCTIM announce:

"As part of the project the Society has managed to secure money to 
part-fund a series of pilot projects that will act as case studies to 
help to encourage the take-up of OSS. Further details about COSPA can be 
found at http://cospa.case.unibz.it/

The amount available will be a maximum of 10,000 Euros to part fund each 
pilot and there will be at least 6 pilots. This represents an ideal 
opportunity, for an authority that has considered or is considering OSS, 
to obtain funding without having to undertake the rigorous EU 
application process. If your organisation would like to apply then 
please submit your application to address@hidden by the 20th 
May 2004 so that a decision can be made by the 1st June 2004.

Applications must be limited to a single A4 sheet and cover:
-Name of Organisation
-OSS product to be trialled.(there is a list at 
http://www.socitm.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D9025C63-D6AB-400F-85F2-E72E822D6F02/0/SuperstructureProductList.doc 
)
-Users impacted by the pilot
-How skills will be acquired
-Estimate of the number of hours required
-Name of Project Manager and contact details

Successful applicants will be required to complete the trial by the 
31/12/2004 and to submit a brief monthly progress report. Upon 
completion of the pilot, Sheffield University (the UK Partner in the 
COSPA project) will complete a case study report on the pilot."

While we suggest to any public authority interested to request SOCTIM 
for a grant, we will offer our support independently from SOCTIM.

I hope it clarifies our workplan.

Best regards,
        Andres


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____________

Dr. Andres Baravalle, Research Associate
University of Sheffield - Department of Computer Science

tel:  +44 (0)114 22 21911
fax:  +44 (0)114 22 21810