EduXchange Consortium

The EduXchange Consortium is composed of 6 core members:

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH “DEMOKRITOS”, Greece

NCSR “Demokritos” is a multi-disciplinary Research Center, with research activities in the field of physical sciences and significant laboratory infrastructure. NCSR was established in 1958 and operates as an administratively independent self-governing organisation under the supervision of the Ministry of Development. Main mission of NCSR is the creation and diffusion of novel knowledge as well as the provision of specialised services to the public.

NCSR consists of eight institutes covering a broad range of activities (Biology, Informatics and Telecommunications, Materials Science, Microelectronics, Nuclear Physics, Nuclear Technology and radiation protection, Physical Chemistry Radioisotopes, Radio-diagnostic products) and the Division of Applied Technologies.

The Div. Applied Technologies, headed by Dr-Ing. C. Makropoulos, comprises 5 Departments including the Computer Center (Network-Development & operation unit), Applied Technologies and Electronic Library.

The total number of staff of NCSR is about 700, including 130 graduate students funded by the center while working on PhD projects at Greek Universities. There are 220 full time scientists and about 50 post-doctoral bursaries. Thus the scientific personnel of 370 amounts to just over half of the total. Total technical personnel are 230 of which 130 are attached to institutes and 100 to the Division of Applied Technologies.

NCSR was also the coordinator of the Greek National Host HESTIA (Hellenic Sites Telecommunications Infrastructure for ACTS) and manages the super-computing center. Moreover, NCSR manages ARIADNET, the main National Academic and Research Computer Network of Greece. ARIADNET has interconnected various academic centers, institutions, universities and research centers. ARIADNET is now a main site of the GRNET. NCSR also hosts the Technology Park of Attiki, which is incorporating more than 20 companies.

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imc – Information Multimedia Communication AG, Germany

imc AG is among the leading international service and technology companies for advanced learning and content solutions. More than half of the DAX30 companies, numerous other large and medium enterprises, professional training providers and about 70 higher education institutions deploy the products and services of imc AG to realise training and education for HR development in online academies or corporate universities.

With its Learning Management System CLIX® und its Recording Tool LECTURNITY® imc provides an integrated and efficient solution framework for the Learning Life Cycle Management. This comprises the operation and design of training and learning processes, the management and distribution of learning contents, the management of human capital and the development of skills and competencies as well as the planning and improvement of training resources. All these aspects are connected by a strong focus on learning management processes that include all management activities, i.e. the design and planning, operation, analysis and assessment. imc has a strong focus on business process and therefore regards learning management as an integral part of business needs. The clients of imc AG esteem the consulting expertise and excellence in building and implementing learning solutions in the field of technologies as well as content development.

Headquartered in Saarbrücken (Germany) with offices in Freiburg and Berlin (both Germany), Vienna (Austria) and a subsidiary company in Zurich (Switzerland) the company was founded 1997 by Dr. Wolfgang Kraemer, Frank Milius and Dr. Volker Zimmermann together with Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. A-W. Scheer, Business Angel, university professor and founder and chairman of the supervisory board at IDS Scheer AG. The leading business software company SAP holds a share of 10% of imc. Several international partners of imc ensure the worldwide support of imc’s learning solutions.
For its developments in the field of e-learning, the company has received a number of prizes for innovation, including an award in 2000 dedicated to innovative and successful SME’s. imc was assigned to be one of the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe in 2002 (position 66). The MetaGroup ranked imc to be a market leader in services as well as in products and technologies for the German and European e-learning market.

imc is a member of the following projects funded by the European Commission: Trans European Network Academy (Ten-A), Elena – Creating a Smart Space for Learning, and Time2Learn.

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Groupement des Ecoles des Télécommunications / Institut National des Télécommunications (GET/INT), France

The GET (Groupe des Ecoles des Télécommunications ), federates six graduate institutions of higher education, specialised in information and communications technologies: Télécom Paris, ENST Bretagne, INT, ENIC, Eurecom, IAAI. Research activities represent competencies spanning from basic technologies, signals and communications, computer and telecommunications networks, to social and economical issues of IT. About 450 faculty members work in topics ranging from communication systems and networks, multimedia information processing as well as direct applications to the information society (e-learning, e-health, e-commerce, etc.). The schools work in collaboration with industrial and academic partners such as CNET, CNRS, INRIA, IFREMER, INSERM, DGA, etc. The GET produces annually about 1000 publications, wins 350 research contracts, and counts about 450 PhD students in its research laboratories.

The GET schools offer highly competitive (top 10%) graduate and post-graduate degree programmes for future engineers and managers for all professional sectors providing or using information and communications technologies. About 3000 students are enrolled in graduate engineering and management degree programmes including “Mastères”, D.E.A., and PhD. The schools conduct 12.000 continuing education training days per year throughout the world.

Being able to naturally combine two of their inherent missions: teaching and state-of-the-art expertise in ICT, GET/INT is well positioned to be a leader in the area of R&D applied to Technology Enhanced Learning. GET/INT is actively involved in numerous French national and international projects which aim at adapting new technologies and infrastructures to support novel and innovative pedagogical scenarios. The projects have contributed to the creation of tele-teaching networks, distance education broadcasting, and complete flexible engineering programmes incorporating information and communications technologies for delivery. Since 1990 GET/INT faculty have been more especially involved in eLearning projects bringing together national, European and transatlantic groups of researchers, teachers, and learners.

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Visit INT Website

HEC, France

Since 1881, when it was founded by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales) has been preparing carefully chosen candidates for positions of major responsibility in the corporate world. Today, in the rapidly expanding international business environment, HEC, remains not only France’s most prestigious school of management but also one of Europe’s leading management training institutions.

HEC offers four academic programmes :
- The HEC Graduate Programme
- The HEC specialised Master’s programme
- The HEC bilingual MBA programme (ISA)
- The HEC PhD programme

as well as three executive education programmes
- HEC Management
- HEC CPA EMBA
- HEC Trium EMBA, in cooperation with the London School of Economics and the New York Stern School of Business

The full-time faculty consists of over 110 professors with doctorates from the world’s best research universities. HEC also benefits from the contributions of 35 visiting professors from Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, ESADE, Bocconi, Michigan and a variety of other business schools, and 450 assistant lecturers, most of them business executives.

Over the last five years, 40% of HEC’s new faculty were hired overseas. Sixty nationalities are represented within the student body. Most courses are offered in both English and French. HEC has formed partnerships with leading international universities and business schools in the world through the PIM (programme of International Management) consortium, of which it is a founding member. HEC also offers, with twelve leading European universities the only pan-european Master’s degree in management training, the CEMS Master.

HEC is the first French management institution to be accredited by the three agencies

- AACSB in the United States
- AMBA in the United Kingdom
- EQUIS in Europe

Participation in the EduXchange project will be managed by the Technology Department. Headed by Jacques Dang, it brings together faculty members participating in national as well as in international R&D projects. The current activities of the department focus on three main areas :

- distance education and e-learning
- broadband networks
- bridging the gap between research centers and corporations

In the field of e-learning, HEC has been involved in several European-funded projects :

- Universal (IST 5th FP, DG Information Society)
- TEN-A (Ten-Telecom, DG Information Society)
- Convergence (Minerva, DG Education & Culture)
- Time2Learn (IST 5th FP, Thematic network, DG Information Society)
- Prolearn (IST 6th FP, Network of Excellence, DG Information society)

as well as in two nationally funded projects related to the underlying broadband infrastructure !

- Autoroutes de l’Information (French Ministry of Industry)
- Saclay Metropolitan Area Network using broadband technologies) (Paris Regional Council)

In the scope of these projects, HEC has strengthened its expertise in the field of academic cooperation, and educational content exchange. We have also built on the experience of the CEMS consortium of which we are a founding member to foster increased levels of cooperation, including cooperation with non-European institutions and with the corporate world.

HEC also has a very strong partnership with France’s leading science and engineering school, Ecole Polytechnique in several areas :

- joint masters’ degree
- joint participation in e-learning projects
- joint participation in broadband networks projects
- joint cooperation with large corporations
- joint activities in incubation of start-up companies and research to industry transfer

which will be extended to other academic institutions within the scope of the multi-disciplinary “Institut de Saclay” or “Saclay Institute of Science & Technology”

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University of Kassel, Germany

To reach excellence and competence in the fields of Human Ressources, Environment, Fine Arts and High Tech is an important goal of the University of Kassel. The University offers high-quality academic courses and programms (bachelor, magister, master, postgraduate and doctoral degrees). The full-time faculty consists of 340 professors, 2,400 people working as scientic, technical and administrative staff and 2,800 other employees. About 18,000 students are studying at the University of Kassel. The Budget is about 145 Mio. Euro per year. The University is linked to 22 sister universities and more than 100 departmental cooperations contribute to teaching and research with international partners. Moreover, 120 agreements are signed in the frame of European and international programmes. The University of Kassel is a founding member of the European Consortium "European Graduate Studies Group EGSG" and holds the General Secretariat.

The participation in the EduXchange project will be managed by the Institute of Business Informatics from the Business Department. The Institute is headed by Prof. Dr. Udo Winand. Members of the Institute participating in national as well as in international R&D projects. In these projects experiences have been made with the implementation of different market-oriented education offers in an inter-universitarian E-Learning network as well as with organising and operating such a network. The current activities of the Institute focus on four main areas: distance education and e-learning, public private networks and partnerships, virtual organizations, and trust in information systems.

In the scope of different research and development projects, the Institute of Information Systems at the University of Kassel has strengthened its expertise in the field of academic cooperation, and educational content exchange. There are also experiences built on the work of the Schmalenbach Society, German Society for Management, of which Prof. Dr. Udo Winand is the Manager in Chief of the Working Group Managerial Partnerships. Other members of the Institute are participating especially in the Working Group "Public Private Partnerships".

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Donau University Krems

Danube University Krems in Austria is the only state-funded university throughout Europe, which has specialised in post-graduate academic studies. The University offers exclusive courses in the fields of Business and Management Studies, Telecommunications, Information and Mass Media, European Integration, Environmental and Medical Sciences as well as of Cultural Studies. One of the main goals of the Danube University has always been the bridging between technology and society. The department Telecommunication, Information and Media performs research, education and consultancy to fill in the gaps between social needs and technological and organisation potentials in the knowledge based society. Thus the research questions that we raise contribute to the European research in technology enhanced learning by bridging the two focuses, one on the technology side and the other one on the social side

For the research that is currently and in the future carried out related to technology enhanced learning this interdisciplinary view of the Danube University is heading towards a combination of technical use and pedagogical approaches for shaping the Information Society. Danube University defines and tests new business models that are emerging because of advanced technological possibilities. Especially the brokerage and delivery of eLearning contents play a significant role. In order to avoid economical mistakes similar to the once made with many business models during the e-business hype, new business models are validated and verified. An example is the validation of new business models in brokering and delivering European e-learning courses over the world. This focus on the exchange of educational resources both between Higher Education Institutions and between Higher Education Institutions and the corporate world has led to the implementation of the Universal Brokerage Platform (UBP) integrated by users such as the KALEIDOSCOPE Network of Excellence.

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