[Telecentres] UNDP/APDIP/IOSN Sub-regional Nodes - Extension of deadline

[Sunil Abraham]

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Extension of deadline for receiving expressions of interest to manage a sub-regional node of the International Open Source Network.
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This is with regard to our earlier announcement, appended below and also available from here:- www.iosn.net/about/news/regional-nodes-request
We have received some requests [at FOSSAP II and by email] for extension of deadline. In response to these requests, the deadline for receiving expressions of interest has been revised from 20 September 2005 to 10 October 2005. We hope this will give everyone sufficient time.

We would also like to use this opportunity to answer some of the questions that accompanied the requests.

QUESTION 1: How much money will UNDP/APDIP/IOSN provide to the sub-regional node?

UNDP/APDIP/IOSN will provide up-to USD 75,000 for the project period - January 2006 to June 2007. Apart from financial support UNDP/APDIP/IOSN will also provide technical and incubation support. Additional funds required by the sub-regional node could be raised from other donors.
        
        QUESTION 2: What is the scope of work for the sub-regional node.

The node is expected to replicate IOSN's activities at a sub-regional level. Very broadly these activities involve - community building, publications, trainings, events, micro-grants and research. You can learn more about our activities from www.iosn.net. But this should only serve as a general guideline. The exact scope of work can only be finalised in consultation with the selected organisation. 
        
        QUESTION 3: What about institutional approvals?

We understand that for some large organisations, institutional approvals cannot be secured within the aforementioned deadline. We would like to request these organisations to submit the expression of interest "in principle". Institutional approval can be secured at a later date.
        



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ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT
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Request for expression of interest to manage a sub-regional node of the International Open Source Network

UNDP-APDIP would like to bring to your attention this request for expression of interest to initiate and manage a sub-regional node of the International Open Source Network with the guidance of UNDP-APDIP. Please submit your expression of interest by 20 September 2005 to sunil at apdip.net

We are looking for three partners to manage three sub-regional nodes in the Asia-Pacific region. These nodes can possibly be called ‘IOSN South Asia’, ‘IOSN ASEAN+3’, and ‘IOSN Pacific Island Countries’. The list of countries that would fall under each sub-regional node and which are, therefore, eligible to submit an expression of interest is given below.

Ideally, we are looking for a government agency, academic institution or civil society organization with a proven track record in Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) development, research, deployment, and advocacy. The candidate organization must be able to internalize sub-regional needs and priorities in FOSS and design and implement a programme that is truly needs-based. 

Primary Research Focus: The sub-regional nodes will undertake research activities in three primary focus areas, namely, Open Content, Open Standards and Open Source. This could be accomplished via the establishment of research teams or “cells” within each sub-regional facility. Besides a small core staff, these teams/cells could include volunteers and/or consultants who will collaborate across a wide spectrum of activities such as data collection, research, analysis, authoring and review. We believe this will encourage other institutions from the public and volunteer sectors to undertake serious research into various aspects and implications of FOSS for the developing world.  The primary focus of research for each sub-region could be:

	IOSN South Asia -- Open Content
        IOSN ASEAN +3 -- OpenStandards
        IOSN Pacific Island Countries -- Open Source
        
Secondary Research Focus: Apart from the primary research focus area mentioned above, each sub-regional node could also conduct research on specific areas of FOSS application where either software or human resources are unavailable in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of these focus areas were identified during the first Free/Open Source Software Asia Pacific (FOSSAP) consultation held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2004. 

IOSN has already produced some research outputs in connection with a few areas such as Localization. But additional concerted and specialized research is required in, for example, e-Learning; health; finance; e-governance; geographic information system (GIS); and multimedia. Perhaps the proposed sub-regional centres could focus as follows:

	IOSN South Asia -- e-Learning
        IOSN ASEAN+3 -- Health, Finance and e-Governance
        IOSN Pacific Island Countries -- GIS, Earth Science, and   
	Multimedia Imaging and Publishing
        
IOSN Portal: The IOSN portal <http://www.iosn.net> serves as a comprehensive, online resource centre providing information on FOSS, FOSS news, wikis, blogs, and online discussion forums, and acts as a means for the FOSS community to collaborate and interact. It is co-managed by IOSN and FOSS advocates throughout the region and all three sub-regional nodes will partake in its management in the areas of their expertise and specialization. 

Each selected sub-regional node will be designated as a UNDP-APDIP Centre of Excellence on FOSS.

UNDP-APDIP will provide seed financing, incubation services for 12-18 months, initial hosting services for the IOSN portal, as well as official affiliation with UNDP-APDIP. Each sub-regional node will also receive overall guidance, support and management assistance by IOSN and UNDP-APDIP in delivering its activities.

Information concerning IOSN, is provided here and can also be found at http://www.iosn.net.

Expressions of interest are treated confidentially and should be sent no later than September 20, 2005 by email to the manager of IOSN, Mr. Sunil Abraham, at <sunil at apdip.net> and include the following information in no more than 16 pages:

A brief profile of your organization, including vision, objectives, programmes, projects, activities and a brief summary of achievements. Also include key data regarding infrastructure and human resources and annex the legal act/statutes establishing your organization. Finally, include key financial information such as sources of funding and financial sustainability. (Maximum 3 pages)
A description of your institutional expertise/experience with regard to FOSS, along with brief (8-10 lines) description of each major FOSS-related project/programme undertaken so far. (Maximum 4 pages)
     1. A description of your linkages and connections with government agencies, civil society organizations, academic organizations, GNU/Linux User Groups, Free Software Foundations and other FOSS researchers and practitioners. (Maximum 2 pages)
     2. The ideas and expectations you would bring to the implementation and future development of the information service, the resources your organization would be able to contribute in the medium- and long-term, and a suggested time-frame for transitioning the service, including management of the IOSN portal for the sub-region, and in making it sustainable. (Maximum 6 pages)
     3. A brief profile of the individual that would lead this effort in your organization and any other possible members of the team. (Maximum 1 page)
     4.         
NOTE: Expressions of interest will be entertained only from institutions and not individuals.  We will acknowledge receipt of all expressions of interest by email but contact only those organizations we take further interest in.


List of Countries for South Asia
Afghanistan
        Bangladesh
        Bhutan
        India
        Iran
        Maldives
        Nepal
        Pakistan
        Sri Lanka
         
List of Countries for ASEAN +3
Brunei Darussalam
        Cambodia
        China
        Indonesia
        Japan
        Democratic People's Republic of Korea
        Republic of Korea
        Lao PDR
        Malaysia
        Mongolia
        Myanmar
        Philippines
        Singapore
        Thailand
        Timor Leste
        Viet Nam
        
 
List of Countries for the Pacific
Australia
        Cook Islands
        Fiji
        Federated States of Micronesia
        French Polynesia
        Kiribati
        Nauru
        New Caledonia
        New Zealand
        Niue
        Palau 
        Papua New Guinea
        Republic of Marshall Islands
        Solomon Islands
        Tokelau
        Tonga
        Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands
        Tuvalu
        Vanuatu
        
-- 
Sunil Abraham   Manager sunil at apdip.net  www.iosn.net  
International Open Source Network - Software Freedom for All
Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme www.apdip.net
Thailand:UNDP Regional Centre, United Nations Service Building
         3rd Floor, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
         Tel:  (66-2) 288-1234 Fax: (66-2) 288-3032 
India   :3rd Floor, 314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071
         Karnataka, India. Mob: (91) 9342201521
         Tel: (91-80) 51150580 Fax: (91-80) 51150583.