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Question - should public libraries get involved, especially regarding the
'Subject Panel' dealing with "Public Procurement of OS Software"
<http://www.nationalopencentre.org.uk/activities/subject-panels>

National Open Centre Launch Press Release
http://www.nationalopencentre.org.uk/about-us/press-releases/national-open-c
entre-launch-press-release

National Open Centre enables connectivity and collaboration between the open
source community, industry and public sector

The National Open Centre (NOC) holds its official launch, hosted by John
Hemming MP, in the Houses of Parliament on the 26th February 2007. Nearly
100 individuals from the ICT industry: small business, multi-nationals,
proprietary and the open source community, public sector, education and the
media have accepted the invitation to this landmark launch.

The NOC will help the UK to benefit from open source and open standards by
developing strategic analysis and policy, clarifying opportunities and
fostering innovation.

Speakers include Dr Barbara Held of the EU Commission's IDABC Programme, who
is responsible for open source and open document standards matters; and John
Pugh MP, primary sponsor of an Early Day Motion to promote use of open
source software in schools.

Barbara Held will explain why the Commission's policy promotes open
standards, open specifications and interfaces for interoperability. In
particular, she will provide insights in the OSS activities that IDABC has
started in order to support cross-border collaboration in eGovernment.

Barbara comments "The work of the NOC will also contribute to coordinate and
further the use of open source and open standards at the European level. We
need such national focal points that push for openness and interoperability
to create pan-European synergies".

John Pugh MP, the primary sponsor of an Early Day Motion on Software in
schools, adds detail, from his recent discussion, of how pupils, innovation,
open source software and improved spending in schools are linked and, the
current efforts of Minister's to move this important topic up the agenda.

MPs who registered their support of the Early Day Motion will also be
attending.

Significant interest in the NOC has already been generated. An Advisory
Group of 25 members, has been created, representing small business,
multinational organisations, the public sector, education and the open
source community. This diversity of interests is being used to guide the
NOC's efforts, helping establish the topics of most importance to the UK.

Randy Metcalfe, of OSS Watch, University of Oxford adds "The National Open
Centre is an exciting development for positive discussion and debate of open
source issues". Another Advisory Board member Aidan McGuire, Blue Fountain
Systems states "The recognition of the importance of OS&S is growing
throughout Europe and it is important that the UK is a leader in this
initiative" and John Pinner, Clocksoft/ The Linux Emporium adds "The
opportunities that open source software and open standards offer are,
literally, without limits and we see the NOC as essential to ensuring that
this is recognised and acted upon".

The regional development agency Advantage West Midlands supports the
establishment of a national policy institute and sponsors the launch. Mike
Musson of AWM and Manager of the ICT Cluster, comments: "Once again
Birmingham is at the heart of innovation and delivering another success
story. Until now the UK has not been in a position to coordinate strategic
level thinking and policy development around open source and standards. The
NOC signals a positive step in enhancing our region's flourishing ICT
sector."

Dr Chris Francis, Government Programmes, IBM, adds: "IBM welcomes the
creation of the National Open Centre and its pro-active agenda to aid
collaboration and cooperation between businesses, government and the
voluntary sector. It is vital that current UK public and corporate OS&S
policies deliver flexibility and efficiency for public and private
organisations alike."

The pioneering work of the NOC will shape IT in the UK. From assisting the
next generation of ICT users and companies to ensuring the West Midlands
region and the rest of the UK can embrace innovation, make the most of
future opportunities and improve economic performance.

For more information regarding the National Open Centre, and to participate
in this venture, visit http://www.nationalopencentre.org.uk/

ENDS
Notes to editors:

For more information contact:

Ed Downs
National Computing Centre
T: +44 (0) 161 242 2158
[log in to unmask]

Scott Thompson
OpenAdvantage (UCE Birmingham)
T: +44 (0) 121 634 1620
[log in to unmask]

Annette King
Digital Birmingham Innovation Manager
Service Birmingham/Birmingham City Council
T: +44 (0)121 675 1170
[log in to unmask]

National Open Centre
The UK national policy institute for open source and open standards.
A centre to facilitate debate between business, education, government and
community. Developing strategic analysis and research leading to policy
development, conferences and workshops.

Founding partners include the National Computing Centre, Birmingham City
Council; Digital Birmingham and UCE Birmingham; OpenAdvantage.

OpenAdvantage is a project of UCE Birmingham, funded by Advantage West
Midlands, the regional development agency, to promote and encourage the
adoption of open-source software within the region, It is the first
independently-funded vendor-neutral open source solution centre in the UK.
OpenAdvantage provides free advice, consultancy & training to IT SMEs, as
well as businesses and organisations in other sectors, enabling them to take
advantage of the technical and business benefits of open source software.

OpenAdvantage was a finalist in the category of Open Source initiative of
the year, CNET Networks UK 2005 Technology Awards.
http://www.openadvantage.org/

UCE Birmingham is one of the country's newest universities and
simultaneously one of the country's oldest educational institutions. UCE
Birmingham prides itself on the ability to support and develop businesses in
the West Midlands. To date UCE Birmingham has worked with over 1000
businesses and managed over £48 million in business funding, directly
benefiting the regional business community. UCE Birmingham solutions deliver
business benefits which affect bottom line, including increased sales,
decreased costs and access to new markets. UCE Birmingham is more than a
university - working with UCE Birmingham enables businesses to access a vast
resource pool. With over 2000 staff, state-of-the-art technology and
extensive expertise, UCE Birmingham is uniquely positioned to offer new ways
of working.

UCE Birmingham offers a creative, professional and enterprising approach to
business.

National Computing Centre (NCC), now in its 40th year, is the single largest
and most diverse corporate membership body in the UK IT sector. NCC
champions the effective deployment of IT to maximise the competitiveness of
its members’ business, and serves the corporate, vendor and government
communities.

NCC delivers a continuum of services including; independent and impartial
advice and support, best practice and standards, personal and professional
development, managed service delivery, awareness raising and experience
sharing.

These services are designed to support IT and IS professionals and their
teams throughout their management careers and facilitate operational
excellence in the industry. NCC is a social enterprise owned by and run for
the benefit of its members.

Birmingham City Council, the largest City Council in Europe, has been
leading The Open Source Academy, a project that was funded by the ODPM’s
(now DCLG) e-innovations programme.

This project aims to encourage and ease the adoption of Open Source Software
(OSS) in local authorities of all sizes. To this end, it provides research
on:

    * Compatibility – Does it work with other software?
    * Sustainability – Can it be upgraded cheaply in the future?
    * Security and reliability.
    * Usability – Is it easy to understand and use?

Birmingham is trialling open source software on more than 200 PCs as part of
the project.

The Digital Birmingham Programme is a city-wide cross-sector partnership
helping Birmingham make the transition from an industrial city to a digital
city. The initiative aims to accelerate Birmingham’s citizens, communities
and businesses up the digital curve to increase prosperity, knowledge and
quality of life. The National Open Centre is one of the mechanisms that will
help us to achieve these objectives.

Digital Birmingham aims to have a global outlook and presence whilst
focusing locally on the needs of the City’s people, communities and
businesses. It is helping Birmingham to be a competitive city in a global
market place whilst ensuring that the benefits are seen and reaped on a
local level and this is reflected in the strap line ‘going global looking
local’. By embracing digital developments, Birmingham will be well
positioned in the centre of the knowledge economy and will enhance its
financial, scientific and creative industries. Digital Birmingham was
launched publicly in February 2006 and has been followed by a business
launch and a range of consultation events. The initiative aims to see
Birmingham recognised as a leading European digital city by 2010.

- ----

Mark Perkins MLIS, MCLIP
www.markperkins.info

https://keyserver.pgp.com/


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