The Open Society Institute announced in April that it plans to spend $100 million over the next five years to establish “University Internet Centers” at 30 Russian universities outside of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The Centers will provide students, faculty, and the local community with modern computing and communications technology, including full access to the Internet. They will also support local projects that deal with educational, social, cultural, legal, and public health issues, as well as other activities that promote the development of civil society. The Centers will encourage participation in their projects by secondary schools, artistic and cultural institutions, the independent media, and NGOs. The Russian Government has committed $30 million to provide Internet connectivity to the University Internet Centers.

The Open Society Institute is part of a network of independent foundations created and funded by George Soros to promote the development of open societies around the world, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

For further information, visit their website:

http://www.soros.org/uic.html

Or contact them directly at:

H. Juergen Hess
Open Society Institute
888 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10106
Tel: (212) 887-0602
Fax: (212) 397-3944
E-mail: [email protected]

For more information or to order a subscription, see our publications page.

The URL for this page is: http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/csew/96-05/russuic.htm
Last updated: August 2, 1996

Center for Civil Society International [email protected]