Seminar: Policy options and models for bridging digital divides

Invitation to participate in an international seminar

POLICY OPTIONS AND MODELS FOR BRIDGING DIGITAL DIVIDES
Freedom, Sharing and Sustainability in the Global Network Society

14-15 March 2005  University of Tampere, Finland

http://www.globaledevelopment.org/forthcoming.htm

Advances in the information and communication technologies and the 
emergence of a global network society present new challenges for 
research and policy making. The seminar aims at addressing ways to 
bridge the wide gaps, or digital divides, that are characteristic of the 
current information society. The new technologies that enable new kinds 
of freedom and sharing can boost, for example, societal participation of 
citizens and collaboration in sciences and technology development. 
However, a framework aiming at sustainability and addressing the 
balanced systems of innovation and intellectual property would
be necessary. The seminar will bring together researchers, students, 
experts and policy makers working on these issues internationally.

Key note presentations of the seminar are:
- Freedom and Sharing in the Global Network Society, Colin Lankshear,
   Ballarat University, Australia
- Collaboration and Development in Free Software Communities,
   Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Problems of Knowledge in the Information Age, Avinash Jha,
   Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India
- Prospects of Internet Governance, Wolfgang Kleinwächter,
   University of Aarhus, Denmark
- Reforming Intellectual Property Regimes for Balanced Development,
   Marjut Salokannel, University of Helsinki, Finland

The 30 seminar presentations are organised in five sessions with the 
following themes.

Theme 1: Freedom and Sharing in the Global Network Society
- information technologies and societal participation
- open and collaborative models - free software

Theme 2: Globally Sustainable Information Society
- information society in Africa
- balanced innovation systems and intellectual property regimes
- information and communication technologies, sustainability and development

Participation in the seminar is free. Please register by 7 March to 
seminar secretary Maija Ilvonen ([email protected]), phone 
+358-3-2158313 Hypermedia Laboratory, Fin-33014 University of Tampere, 
Finland

For more information on the programme kindly contact Marko Ulvila
[email protected], +358-3-215 4079, Hypermedia Laboratory, Fin-33014
University of Tampere, Finland

The seminar is organised by the research project Global Challenges of
eDevelopment of Hypermedia Laboratory of the University of Tampere in
association with the Information Society Institute, University of 
Tampere, Finland Futures Research Centre of Turku School of Economics 
and Business Administration,  Network Institute for Global 
Democratization and Tampere Information Processing Association - PITKY.

-- 
Researcher Niklas Vainio
Hypermedia Laboratory
University of Tampere, Finland
Weblog: http://hiisi.fi/blog/