Free software to support R&D

The Fundación General CSIC has signed an agreement with Osiatis, a European company specialising in the management of computer and communications infrastructure, and with the IT consultancy 2mdc, to jointly create open source software packages to support research and development, innovation and scientific knowledge in general.
Under the agreement, signed by the Fundación General CSIC’s director, Javier Rey, the general manager of Osiatis España, Federico Villalva, and 2mdc’s operations manager, Eduardo Ramos, the signatories will work together to develop computer applications for use by the scientific community and public administrations. The Fundación General CSIC and Osiatis will bring to bear their experience in project definition stages and subsequently contribute to publicising the software. For its part, the IT consultancy 2mdc will be responsible for developing the software on which the packages are based.
A beta version of the first software package, SpeakingImage, will be released in the summer of 2010. This web-based application will allow users to create interactive notes and attach them to images such as photographs and illustrations, and share their notes with other people online. It will be published under the GNU General Public Licence, so that users will be free to distribute, modify and use the software as they wish.
SciPlanning, the second software package, is already being prepared. This is a tool aimed at supporting the strategic planning of institutions dedicated to R&D and innovation. The application will allow organisations to centralise and manage the internal data gathering process in order to prepare and evaluate strategic plans.