Luxembourg, April 23, 2012 - INTRASOFT International, a leading European company in the area of Information and Communication Technology Services, along with 50 educational institutions, research centers and private enterprises from 23 countries will gather in Athens today for the 3-day kick off meeting of Open Discovery Space – an innovative Research & Development project, funded by the European Commission (CIP PSP call 5, Objective 2.4 eLearning) that aims to create a socially-powered, multilingual open learning infrastructure to boost the adoption of eLearning Resources. The total cost of the Open Discovery Space project is 15.32 million EUR and will run from 01/04/2012 to 31/03/2015. INTRASOFT International will serve as the project coordinator.

 Open Discovery Space will engage students, teachers, parents and policymakers in a first of its kind pan-European effort to address the key challenges facing the European eLearning environment.  “We are eager to rethink the current model of education,' said Dr. Antonis RAMFOS, project coordinator and Director of Research and Innovation, INTRASOFT International. ‘Open Discovery Space aims to turn the world of learning upside down by creating an entirely new model that will become the most powerful engine of change and innovation that the world of education has ever seen.”

 Open Discovery Space will achieve its ambitious goals by engaging teachers and pupils in the co-creation of innovative, new educational practices rather than simply introducing them to the ‘new.'  In so doing, Open Discovery Space will advance the modernization of school education by increasing the digital competences of key stakeholders whilst simultaneously stimulating demand for innovative eLearning resources. Ultimately, Open Discovery Space will engage stakeholders in the production of new user-generated educational activities in a socially-empowered, multilingual environment and   empower them with integrated access to unique eLearning resources from educational repositories around the world.

 According to e-Learning expert Dr. Sofoklis Sotiriou, participating in the project: "To achieve our goals, we must carefully craft a “change story” underlining the benefits that Open Discovery Space can offer to all the involved actors. We must cultivate a sense of community, making the teacher feel part of a cohesive multi-national team. This sense of belonging will prove critical to motivating teachers and asking them to take the next, rather demanding steps, of changing their practices”.

 Mr. Khalil Rouhana, Director for digital content and cognitive systems, European Commission stated: "We believe Open Discovery Space will play a key role in supporting the take-up and use of eLearning resources in schools and create new communities of practices in eLearning.Europe's schools need to urgently take up digital technologies so that our children can develop the essential skills they need to learn, work, interact and play a full part in the 21st century society. ODS comes at the right time to showcase and raise awareness of the benefits of eLearning." 

 Fondation EurActiv PoliTech is in charge of the dissemination of the project at EU level.

###

About INTRASOFT International

INTRASOFT International is a leading European company in the area of Information and Communication Technology Services, offering innovative and added-value solutions of the highest quality to a wide range of international and national public and private organisations. The company employs more than 1,500 highly-skilled professionals, representing over 20 different nationalities and mastering more than 18 languages. With headquarters inLuxembourg, INTRASOFT International operates through its operational branches, subsidiaries and offices inBelgium,Greece,Romania,Jordan,Denmark, theUK,Bulgaria,Cyprus,Moldova, thePhilippinesandSaudi Arabia. More than 500 organizations in 68 countries worldwide (Institutions and Agencies of the European Union, National Government Organizations, Public Agencies, Financial Institutions, Telecommunication Organizations, and Private Enterprises) have chosen the company's services and solutions to fulfil their business needs.

For more information, please visit: www.intrasoft-intl.com

Information on the Open Discovery Space project:

Antonis RAMFOS
Director of Research and Innovation, INTRASOFT International  

& project coordinator, Open Discovery Space

Tel. +30 2106876482, E-mail: Antonis.Ramfos@intrasoft-intl.com

Information for Press only

Kalliopi CHIOTI, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

INTRASOFT International

Tel. +30 210 6679076, E-mail: Kalliopi.Chioti@intrasoft-intl.com

About Open Discovery Space: www.opendiscoveryspace.eu

Like ODS FAN Page on Facebook || Follow ODS on Twitter: @ods_eu | #ods_eu

About hands-on training and experience with the platform and eLearning in general: http://ods.ea.gr/