[okfn-coord] [Fwd: Free Knowledge Institute & Open Knowledge Foundation]

Tue Jan 15 11:12:17 UTC 2008

As Hinde mentions I'd already emailed a couple of months ago (though 
hadn't had much response). We should probably blog about this launch and 
try and keep up the contact to see where it leads.

~rufus

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Free Knowledge Institute & Open Knowledge Foundation
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:45:22 +0100
From: Hinde ten Berge <hinde at freeknowledge.eu>
To: rufus at rufuspollock.org

Dear Rufus,

 From different social circles people have been pointing me towards you;
Liz Turner, of course, has been pushing me for ages, and while at the
OpenTranslationTools in Zagreb I met Dave Crossland, who also saw a
match there.

Today I've been sending out press releases for the launch of the Free
Knowledge Institute coming Wednesday, see below. I think we indeed have
a lot in common! Of course at this moment we're still shaping the new
institute but we already have ideas and leads about areas and projects
we want to work with. Shall we have a chat sometime soon to see how we
can collaborate?

I look forward to meeting you, cheers,

	Hinde ten Berge
	Free Knowledge Institute

Press release: Free Knowledge Institute promotes sharing of knowledge

SELF team Netherlands matures into foundation

                     Amsterdam, January 14 2008

Coming Wednesday a new foundation is launched aiming to stimulate a
society in which technology, educational materials, and cultural and
scientific works can be freely shared. The organisation receives the
support from the Internet Society Netherlands, an association for
internet professionals.

The Free Knowledge Institute (www.freeknowledge.eu) is an initiative
from three Amsterdam-based professionals who currently work for Internet
Society Netherlands. In the past years the association coordinated the
large-scale EU-project SELF which embraced the same objectives. The need
to share knowledge freely has become so important that the institute now
turns into an independent organisation.

"More and more governments realise the benefits of free knowledge and
free information technology", says Wouter Tebbens, the president of the
new institute. The Free Knowledge Institute intends to be a knowledge
partner helping to show the way in available free knowledge and
technology. "That way, we can elaborate on the existing pool of free
knowledge and free software, which is growing enourmously. Look at
projects such as Wikipedia, Linux, and the internet itself", Tebbens
states. "Why reinvent the wheel yet again?"

Its main lines of activity are Free Knowledge in technology, education,
culture and science. Free Knowledge in education focuses on the
production and dissemination of free educational materials; Free
Knowledge in IT mainly refers to free software, open standards and open
hardware; Free Knowledge in culture includes open content; and Free
Knowledge in science includes open access and anti-privatisation of
scientific knowledge.

The actionplan 'Netherlands Open in Connection', initiated by the Dutch
ministries of Economic Affairs and Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK),
reflexs the momentum of sharing knowledge. State secretary Bijleveld
from BZK emphasized in December 2007 that sharing of knowledge is
essential for further progress and development of society. The state
secretary committed to pay more attention to the valuable use of free
software and open standards in education, government and business.

On Wedneday January 16th, 2008, the new foundation will be presented
during a large new years reception in the former Volkskrantbuilding at
the Wibautstraat in Amsterdam.

--------------------
Not for publication:

The launch of the Free Knowledge Institute will take place on Wednesday
January 16th 2008 from 4pm to 7pm in the former Volkskrantbuilding at
the Wibautstraat 150 in Amsterdam.

Free Knowledge Institute
http://freeknowledge.eu
+31 20 8910319
Wibautstraat 150
1091 GR Amsterdam
access[at]freeknowledge.eu

Contactinformation initiators:

Free Knowledge Institute:

      * Wouter Tebbens, president
        +31 6 22500981
        wouter[at]freeknowledge.eu

      * Hinde ten Berge, vice-president
        hinde[at]freeknowledge.eu

Contactinformation Internet Society:

Michiel Leenaars, director
+31 6 27050947
michiel[at]staff.isoc.nl

*** About ISOC.nl:

ISOC.nl is the Dutch chapter of ISOC. ISOC was founded in 1992 by the
people who invented and built the internet "to assure the open
development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all
people throughout the world." ISOC works on facilitating a progessively
better cooperation of internetprofessionals, organisations, governments,
universities and companies towards a better internet, and to further
extend the use of the internet for society. The Dutch branch of this
truly global organisation, ISOC.nl, was founded in 1997, and is among
the largest and most active of its kind in the world.

ISOC.nl is actively involved in achieving and promoting internet
standards, researching the use of the internet in democratic and
governmental processes and keeping the discussion within and around the
internet community alive.

More information: http://isoc.nl/

*** About the SELF Project:

SELF is an international project aiming to provide a platform for the
collaborative sharing and creation of free educational and training
materials on Free Software and Open Standards. On the one hand, the SELF
Platform is a repository with free educational and training materials on
Free Software and Open Standards. It is also an environment for the
collaborative creation of new materials. Inspired by Wikipedia, the SELF
Platform provides the materials in different languages and forms. The
SELF Platform is also an instrument for evaluation, adaptation, creation
and translation of these materials. Most importantly, the SELF Platform
is a tool to unite community and professional efforts for public benefit.

The SELF Platform is inititated by ISOC.nl in collaboration with an
international consortium of universities and non-profit organisations in
Europe, Asia and Latin America. The European Commission supports the
SELF Project to set up the platform and to produce the first materials.

More information: http://selfproject.eu
Beta platform: http://beta.selfplatform.eu