The Works of DANTE - Issue 3

First EUMEDIS Conference Hailed a Success

DANTE attended the First EUMEDIS International Conference in Jordan on 17 and 18 April 2005. The conference provided a forum for reflection on four years of EUMEDIS activities, whilst at the same time strengthening the visibility of the programme. The EU’s EUMEDIS programme aims to develop the information society in the Mediterranean region, by funding IST projects in areas such as education, healthcare, culture and tourism. At the conference stakeholders were able to convene with a group of local and international policy makers, to consolidate achievements and drive future development.

Several EUMEDIS pilot projects expressed their intention to use the EUMEDCONNECT network, including MEDFORIST, a Euro-Mediterranean project developing and deploying shared IST learning resources. MEDFORIST (www.medforist.net) now hopes to move its data centre to Morocco to make use of EUMEDCONNECT.

MEDFORIST will join projects such as Strabon, which are already benefiting from the advanced bandwidth and international connections offered by EUMEDCONNECT. Strabon aims to encourage the expansion of the information society within the region. It will also develop multimedia information systems for cultural heritage and sustainable tourism. Consisting of 19 partners in 12 countries, the project brings together researchers, historians and archaeologists to create a cooperation network. Further details on the Strabon programme can be found at www.strabon.org

Additional information on the outcomes of the conference is available from the conference website (www.eumedisconference.org/)