<div dir="ltr">With the usual apologies for Cross posting <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Gora Mohanty</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:gora@sarai.net">gora@sarai.net</a>></span><br>
Date: Wed, Aug 20, 2008 at 12:55 PM<br>Subject: [PRC] Sarai FLOSS fellowships for 2008: Call for proposals<br>To: ILUGD main list <<a href="mailto:ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org">ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org</a>><br>Cc: General Freed list <<a href="mailto:freed@lists.linux-delhi.org">freed@lists.linux-delhi.org</a>>, Free/Libre and Open Source Software Project List <<a href="mailto:prc@sarai.net">prc@sarai.net</a>><br>
<br><br>Hello all,<br>
We invite proposals for the next round of the Sarai<br>
FLOSS fellowships. Please see the announcement below,<br>
and note in particular that the deadline for<br>
submissions is midnight IST on Sun., Sep. 14th, 2008.<br>
We also stand ready to discuss possible projects.<br>
Please email me directly, or send email to<br>
floss AT sarai DOT net with any queries.<br>
<br>
The announcement is also online at<br>
<<a href="http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/floss/2008-floss-fellowships-call-for-proposals" target="_blank">http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/floss/2008-floss-fellowships-call-for-proposals</a>> and a PDF copy of the announcement is available at<br>
<a href="http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/floss/sarai-floss.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/floss/sarai-floss.pdf</a> Please<br>
feel free to circulate these far and wide.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Gora<br>
-------------------------------------------------------<br>
Call for proposals:<br>
Sarai, CSDS, short-term FLOSS fellowships<br>
<br>
August 20, 2008<br>
<br>
1. Introduction<br>
<br>
The Sarai programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing<br>
Societies, Delhi (<a href="http://www.sarai.net" target="_blank">http://www.sarai.net</a>) is pleased to announce<br>
fellowships for projects related to Free/Libre and Open Source<br>
Software (FLOSS) activities. We invite proposals for projects of<br>
practical value, especially those relevant to educational,<br>
social, and community needs.<br>
<br>
This year, the fellowships are funded by the National Internet<br>
Exchange of India (NIXI), http: //<a href="http://www.nixi.in" target="_blank">www.nixi.in</a>, which seeks to<br>
promote Indian language computing, and network technology needs<br>
for India in the FLOSS domain. The Indian Linux Users' Group,<br>
Delhi (ILUG-D) has also agreed to be technical partners on this<br>
year's fellowship projects, and will be involved in the selection<br>
of proposals, and the monitoring of projects.<br>
<br>
We wish to increase contacts between FLOSS communities in India<br>
and abroad, and would encourage tie-ups with major international<br>
FLOSS projects. We are particularly interested in the areas<br>
below, but any proposal meeting the conditions listed at the end<br>
is eligible:<br>
o Localisation of user interfaces into Indian languages, and<br>
the translation of documentation for FLOSS applications.<br>
o Indian language computing, including work on fonts,<br>
rendering, locales, input methods, spell-checking, etc., as<br>
well as in advanced technologies like optical character<br>
recognition (OCR), handwriting recognition, and<br>
speech-to-text.<br>
o Research on networking technologies relevant to the spread<br>
of the Internet in India, to the use of Indian-language<br>
domain names, and enabling a migration to IPv6.<br>
o In the interest of sustained development, we would like to<br>
see the enhancement of, and extensions for projects funded<br>
as part of past Sarai FLOSS fellowships. In particular, we<br>
draw attention to Hindi automated speech recognition<br>
(<a href="http://sourceforge" target="_blank">http://sourceforge</a>. net/projects/hindiasr/), NewsRack<br>
(<a href="http://newsrack.in" target="_blank">http://newsrack.in</a>), and Hindawi (<a href="http://www.indicybers.com" target="_blank">http://www.indicybers.com</a>).<br>
o Documentation for users of FLOSS tools, particularly in the<br>
area of Indian language computing.<br>
o Projects involving cutting-edge technology, especially in<br>
the domains of mobile computing, embedded devices,<br>
robotics, GPS, GIS, and location-based services.<br>
<br>
We will be asking for a collaborative approach from the fellows;<br>
among one another, with people in ILUG-D and Sarai, or with the<br>
broader FLOSS community. Details of these will be worked out with<br>
the selected fellows, but will include things like discussions<br>
over IRC, email, and postings on the Sarai Project Resource<br>
Centre (PRC) mailing list. Blogging about progress on the<br>
projects is especially encouraged. Fellows will also be asked to<br>
prepare a timeline for the projects, with intermediate<br>
milestones, and will be expected to adhere to them.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
2. Applying for the fellowships<br>
<br>
We invite students, developers, researchers, and practitioners<br>
interested in the FLOSS arena to apply for the fellowships. While<br>
there is no prescribed format for the applications, we expect<br>
them to be in sufficient detail for a reviewer to sensibly<br>
evaluate them. Attention to details, such as a plan of work that<br>
addresses what is possible to accomplish within the limited<br>
project period, a projection of how the work might be continued<br>
after that, and a discussion of the possible impact of the<br>
project, is strongly recommended. Please mail your application,<br>
along with a resume, to <a href="mailto:floss@sarai.net">floss@sarai.net</a>, with the subject line<br>
of "Sarai FLOSS fellowships". As this information is intended<br>
to be public, also subscribe to the PRC mailing list at<br>
<a href="https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/prc" target="_blank">https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/prc</a>, and post a copy<br>
there, failing which your final proposal will be forwarded there<br>
by one of us. Enquiries are invited at <a href="mailto:floss@sarai.net">floss@sarai.net</a> , and on<br>
the PRC list, including questions on how to frame proposals. The<br>
last date of submission is midnight IST on Sun., Sep. 14th,<br>
2008. The projects will run for a total of about six months, with<br>
a final workshop to be held at Sarai, CSDS, Delhi, where the<br>
fellows will be expected to present a summary of their work. The<br>
total amount of the fellowship will be Rs. 70, 000.<br>
<br>
3. Conditions<br>
<br>
Applicants should have a valid bank account in any bank operating<br>
in India. These are support grants, and the fellows are free to<br>
pursue their primary occupations in parallel, as long as they<br>
keep working on proposed projects as per schedule. The fellows<br>
must be willing to make a release of their final work under any<br>
open-source licence approved by the Open Source Initiative<br>
(OSI). Please see under <a href="http://www.opensource.org/licenses" target="_blank">http://www.opensource.org/licenses</a> for a<br>
complete list. Proposals from teams, partnerships, collectives,<br>
and faculty on the behalf of a group of students are welcome, so<br>
long as the grant amount is administered by a single individual,<br>
and the funds are deposited in a single bank account in the name<br>
of an individual.<br>
<br>
<br>
-------------------------------------------------------<br>
Knowlege is power... share it equitably!<br>
<br>
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