The Open Source Academy has devised six main projects, which challenge perceptions of Open Source and provide concrete evidence to alleviate concerns about the support, skills and training required.

StarOffice/OpenOffice.org
Drawing on experience of Bristol City Council, this project is providing information to other local authorities to support decisions about adopting the Open Source office suite StarOffice/OpenOffice.org and improve its effective implementation. It is also investigating provision of additional business benefits through use of StarOffice/OpenOffice.org for XML forms and for open standards based data interchange with the Government.

Large Scale Open Source Implementation
Birmingham City Council is implementing fully Open Source desktops in its public libraries. The project explores the business case for a large-scale public facing open source deployment. For local authorities this presents the opportunity to understand the case for Open Source in terms of cost, security, and usability. It also explores how open source can be used and supported alongside existing software in a sustainable model.

Recycling Older PCs
A case study report and guidance is supplied for decision making, looking at the costs and benefits of implementation. This focuses on planning, re-imaging and redeployment whilst providing on-going support and maintenance.

National Open Development Environment
This environment provides a national infrastructure to collaborate on software development and share solutions instead of redeveloping the same tools. The online collaborative repository is hosted by the University of Kent at www.node.gov.uk and Shepway District Council is releasing a number of its own software packages under the General Public Licence.

Open Source Laboratory
The Open Source Laboratory provides local authorities with an opportunity to prove Open Source concepts in a risk free test environment, without compromising their own live networks. Located at the National Computing Centre in Manchester, the Laboratory features a variety of hardware and software configurations, allowing users to test the viability and functionality of proposed Open Source solutions. A full time technician is on hand to assist in setup and help compile a report of evaluation outcomes.

Portal and Enabling Services
Key deliverables are a major new Portal, Accreditation schemes and a programme of Masterclasses. Together they provide a sustainable approach for an authority seeking practical, up to date advice and guidance on the provision of Open Source services and products:

• The Portal provides a direct focus for case studies, implementation guides, news, forums and expert advice.

• Accreditation schemes are being introduced for product and service suppliers, and a skills programme for the individual.

• Masterclasses provide practical education on best practice within key opportunity areas and are being run nationally.