eLearning Industry Group seeks communities for a European network of eLearning cities

The recently established eLearning Industry Group (eLIG), consisting of over 40 leading companies and organisations, today announced its intention to create a network of elearning cities across Europe to develop and demonstrate next generation elearning solutions through sizeable field experiments.

The group is currently identifying those communities who wish to partner with industry for this leap into a new environment for learning.
A substantial size project is under planning to create a real life infrastructure to develop, test and deliver elearning content to all users anywhere, anytime and on any device. The group will work in close co-operation with governments, schools and training institutions to accelerate the integration of elearning in schools, universities and in the workplace.
Deputy chairman of the eLearning Industry Group, Mikko Laine, speaking at the LEARNTEC conference in Karlsruhe Germany said: If Europe is to become the most dynamic and knowledge-based economy in the world, we need to undertake innovative projects to promote the deployment of eLearning in Europe. We are committed to promoting the use of elearning and to helping Europe become the world leader in this sector. In this project, the substantial investments of the member companies of eLIG demonstrate that we mean business.
The eLIG group aims to accelerate the deployment of eLearning in Europe by undertaking innovative projects. It will provide advice to the European Commission and other national governments across Europe in essential areas such as information technology and telecommunications infrastructure, open standards that facilitate the exchange of e-learning content, development of a sustainable market for e-learning content and development of crucial professional and personal skills.
The eLearning Industry Group is an open group and welcomes involvement from other players in the field of eLearning. It will also be used as a forum to develop industry-wide public policy recommendations that will be presented to the national governments of Europe.,The eLearning Industry Group was established in May 2001 and now consists of the following companies and organisations:
Accenture, Apple, BT, Cisco, DLGI, Global Knowledge, IBM, Intel, Klett, Languages, Line Communications, Microsoft, Nokia, Online Courseware Factory, Sanoma-WSOY, Sun Microsystems, Telecom, Italia, The Training Foundation, Tomcom, Vivendi Universal Publishing, Wolters Kluwer Education, Auralog, Austrian Computer Society, Bertelsmann Foundation, Cambridge University Press, CEPIS, CLT MSI Vaxjo University, Compact, CompTia, European Computer, Driving Licence Foundation, Fraunhofer-Institute, FUTUREtec, Henley, Management College, HTI, InteractiveContent, IT Center Stockholm, Lagardere, Polycom, Open University Netherlands, Porto Editora, RM, Texas Instruments, Universite Technologie Compiegne
For further information please contact
Mrs. Mikaela Nordenfelt,Project Manager,International Co-operation Europe Ltd. - ICEL,Avenue de Fre, 265 (Bte 27),1180 Uccle - Brussels,Belgium,Tel: [phone],Fax: [phone],E-mail: [e-mail],