MoU with Tamil Virtual Academy

FSFTN and Tamil Virtual Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 30, 2015 to work in the mutually beneficial areas.

Memorandum of Understanding

Between Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu and Tamil Virtual Academy.

Free Software: Free software, software libre, or libre software is computer software that gives users the freedom to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, modify, and distribute the original software and the adapted versions.

Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu (FSFTN):

FSFTN, is a registered society under The Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 comprising volunteers including Software Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Academicians, Journalists and Students working to take Free Software Technologies to as many people as possible through seminars and workshops all over Tamil Nadu. Since 2008 have held workshops in major institutions in Chennai and across the State such as IIT-Madras, College of Engineering, Guindy, SSN, Kalasalingam University, CIT Coimbatore among others .

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is entered into by and between Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu, a registered society under The Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. (Reg no : 263/2014 ) , located at 36 (old #24) Thanikachalam Road, Flat No. 2, First Floor, B Block, Silverpark Apartments, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu - 600017, India, hereinafter referred to as FSFTN, and Tamil Virtual Academy located at Anna University Campus, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kottur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600025, India, hereinafter referred to as TVA.

Purpose: The purpose of this MOU is to promote the Free Software Tools & Technologies and Knowledge Freedom in Tamil. Statement of Mutual Interests and Benefits: FSFTN is dedicated to take forward importance of Free Software Tools & Technologies and Knowledge Freedom to every venue possible for creating a new age experts with International perspective in technology.

This MOU is established between FSFTN and TVA to help each other accomplish mutually beneficial objectives:

1. Create awareness among students, researchers and academicians about Free Software Tools & Technologies.

2. Enable both parties to apply for targeted grants to assist in the community’s efforts towards building Free Software Tools & Technologies for Social and Technical development, creating education resources and conducting community events.

3. Create Free Software Tools & Technologies experts with emphasis on Tamil for Information Technology (IT) & Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Industry.

4. Encourage community based Entrepreneurship by creating products using Free Software Tools & Technologies in accordance with open source software policy of Government of India / Tamil Nadu.

5. Promoting open standards in accordance with open source software policy of Government of India / Tamil Nadu.

6. Promote Free Software Tools & Technologies through Knowledge Sharing.

7. Build free (as in freedom) tools for Tamil Computing along with the community.

8. Promote usage of Free Software in Govt. and affiliated bodies/institutions.

9. Work with various Govt. and affiliated entities to release documents/books/studies and other resources (in various formats: printed books, e-books etc.) in free knowledge domains using Creative Commons licenses.

10. To assist formulation of curriculum/syllabus for courses involving Free software and new software trends in schools/colleges.

In consideration of the above premises, the parties agree as follows:

FSFTN Shall:

1. Work along with TVA in bringing more material on free software tools/technologies in Tamil.

2. Conduct events including sensitisation workshops, localization events at regular intervals at TVA to help students and academicians get more knowledge in various Free Software tools/technologies.

3. Assist TVA in setting up Free Software repositories at its premises with instructions in Tamil to help the students and academicians learn about Free Software.

4. Assist TVA with spreading the knowledge about usage of Tamil computing with free software tools.

5. Promote the TVA as a community partner through its website, social media and other possible communication mediums.

6. Offer outreach materials- Information, Communication and Education (ICE) materials-, in all types of media forms, to the TVA community such as brochures, newsletters, posters, displays, etc.

7. Conduct workshops and training camps along with TVA to promote Free Software technologies to college/school students and teachers to sensitize and give them head start into the world of free software.

8. Undertake necessary initiatives to ensure gender equity in promoting software entrepreneurship

9. Explore the possibility of projects and internships for the promotion of Tamil Computing with Free Software tools.

10. Assist Tamil Virtual Academy in bringing out Research journal.

11. Develop free input devices such as keyboards and other software applications.

TVA Shall:

1. Assist in usage in promoting Free Software Tools & Technologies in Govt. institutions like Government offices, e-governance centers and as part of curriculum in universities, colleges and schools.

2. Disseminate information about free software based community events and other relevant information to the public through website/webpages on Internet.

3. Assist FSFTN events of Tamil Computing, with necessary resources.

4. Work with like-minded communities for mutual benefits.

5. Work on Government or Organizational funded projects for enriching Free Software Tools & Technologies for Social & Technical benefits.

6. Facilitate with infrastructure for community activities.

7. Explore the possibility of projects and internships along with FSFTN for the promotion of Tamil Computing with Free Software tools using the TVA’s incubation centre.

8. We, the undersigned, have agreed on the contents of this MOU. Any changes must be agreed to by both parties.

The Signed E-Document would be uploaded shortly.