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TecNet wins EUR1.2 million contract
Friday, July 13 2001
by Andrew McLindon


An Irish company has won a EUR1.2 million EU contract to encourage organisations
to embrace e-working.

Cork-based TecNet, which is dedicated to promoting research co-operation among
the country's Institutes of Technology, has been awarded a contract from the
European Commission to undertake a research project on the opportunities for
virtual organisations.



Known as TEAMWork, the project will be led and co-ordinated by TecNet and
involves 14 partners from seven different countries. The Irish partners are the
Institutes of Technology in Letterkenny, Tralee and Waterford.



According to TecNet's chief executive, Eugene O'Leary, the project will use
"innovative Internet-based technology," while tackling the social elements of
e-working, to give remote workers the necessary social and organisation skills to
operate effectively. TecNet will use tools from German company HyperWave to help
collaboration between users.



"E-working is not just about technologies like document exchange, it is also
about how people cope with working in a dispersed environment. Up to now,
e-working hasn't take off because the human factors haven't been examined," said
O'Leary.



"Employees can often feel alienated when working from home, while employers
feel they are losing control over their staff who e-work. The project will
analyse users' behaviour and their requirements, and develop a skills set to
equip people properly to work in virtual organisations," added O'Leary. TecNet
is to employ two experts to look at the human element in e-working.



TecNet has been charged under the European Commission's Fifth Framework Programme
for Research & Development with developing appropriate Web-based technology to
manage workflows and a business methodology that will be effective in team
building and motivation in e-working environments. It also will identify what
skills are needed to be a successful teleworker.



Set-up in 1999 by the country's 13 Institutes of Technology and Enterprise
Ireland, the private limited company was established to look at improving
collaboration between researchers nationally and internationally, as well as
delivering research and development services to Irish industry.



According to TecNet, only three percent of national research funding goes to
Institutes of Technology sector at present. O'Leary commented that it was
"significant" that such a project has been won by the Institutes rather than
the universities. "We hope this contract is just the beginning to a series of
major research EU contracts in which Irish Institutes of Technology will be
active participants," he added.



For further information visit www.tecnet.ie.