The European Commission’s TEN-Telecom Programme has just launched a new call for proposals, which are aimed at encouraging the development of sustainable telematic services for education and training. Under the TEN-Telecom (Trans European Telecommunications) Generic services and Applications Call launched on the 13 March 1998 there are opportunities for organisations.
It states that:
"National education and training sectors are experiencing a radically new move towards the use of information and communication technologies in the learning and training process, mainly based on the accelerating development of the Internet. However, this process remains on a national basis and it proves difficult to create an integrated multimedia product on a European level.
The objective is therefore to encourage access to multimedia tools by schools and universities, by promoting the commercial deployment of educational and training services and encouraging Community-wide application of multimedia pedagogical practices and products. The European dimension of the education and training process could be reinforced by the commercial deployment of:
integrated resource centres for creation, information, distribution, trading and use of multimedia educational and training materials. These centres should provide a network access to a critical mass of users and involve, for their construction and operation, all the key actors concerned (authors, editors, publishers, telecom operators) on the broader European level;
European-wide information networks for schools, universities and training centres interconnecting national and regional education/training networks, and providing multimedia and communication platforms. These will be aimed at improving collaboration across Europe and to foster the use of multimedia pedagogical content in a trans-national context for teaching and learning purposes;
hardware and software facilities aiming to improve the co-operation between the computer and multi-media industry and the education sector at European level; this should aimed at strengthening the use of communication technologies in schools and in SMEs and to provide the teachers/trainers with new innovative educational tools.
Please note this call is looking for developments leading to sustainable services not research and development activities or projects looking for funds to develop online courses or for infrastructure developments.
Full details of this call can be found at the TEN-Telecom Web site: http://www.echo.lu/tentelecom
or contact the TEN-Telecom Secretariat:
Tel +32 2 296 8628
Fax +32 2 296 1740
Email: ten@bxl.dg13.cec.be