[Asis-l] DPE Research Exchange Programme

[Joy Davidson]

***Apologies for Cross Posting***

DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) announces its Research and Industrial 
Exchange Programme (DPEX)
http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange

Research and practice in digital preservation is patchy, fragmented, and 
disconnected. Communication between research groups is limited and does 
not always engage with the needs of practitioners. Exchange of 
professional practitioners and researchers provides a valuable way to 
understand and overcome these barriers. They can facilitate knowledge 
exchange, capacity building, and innovation.

DigitalPreservationEurope, building on the earlier successful work of 
ERPANET, works to improve coordination, cooperation and consistency in 
current digital preservation and curation activities to secure the 
longevity of digital assets and heritage. DPE, supported by the European 
Union with funding under the Sixth Framework Programme, recognises the 
value of exchange programmes as a mechanism to establish 
cross-institutional synergies.

It is our hope that the planned twenty-five DPE Exchanges will propagate 
knowledge, capacity and innovation as well as foster better cooperation 
among research institutions and industrial partners working on meeting 
pressing challenges in digital preservation. DPEX aims to encourage 
innovative practice through research collaboration and to build bridges 
between practitioners and researchers.

Participants in the DPEX programme benefit from contact with the 
experienced preservation professionals, engagement in environments where 
preservation challenges are encountered on a daily basis, and/or contact 
with renowned research labs and industrial partners in the area of 
digital preservation in Europe. DPEX will allow participants to look 
beyond their specific professional environment.

Exchanges should typically last for four weeks and the DPEX support of 
up to 3500 euros per exchange can be used to meet partially the costs of 
accommodation, subsistence, and travel. Unfortunately, DPEX support 
cannot be used to meet salary costs and currently exchanges must involve 
participants from and institutions located in EU Member States.

The first application deadline is June 1st 2007 with selected exchanges 
being announced on the 1st of July 2007. There will be three further 
deadlines for applications under what we hope will be the first phase of 
the DPEX Programme: October 2007, January 2008, June 2008. The 
application process can be completed online. Full programme details 
(including terms and conditions) are available at 
www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange 
<http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange>.

Completed applications will be reviewed by an independent review 
committee of six researchers and practitioners is chaired by Birte 
Christensen-Dalsgaard, Statsbiblioteket (Denmark) and Andreas Rauber, 
Vienna University of Technology (Austria). Their decision as to whether 
or not to make an exchange award will be final.

Further information can be found on the DPE webpage 
www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange 
<http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange>.

Professor Seamus Ross
Principal Director DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE)
HATII at the University of Glasgow

&

Professor Andreas Rauber
Director of DigitialPreservationEurope's Exchange Programme
Vienna University of Technology (Austria)