This award will continue the work of the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) for three years. The NSRC functions as a virtual global clearinghouse and service center for facilitating the establishment of computer networks in less-networked countries and for enhancing network operations globally. This activity enables communication between the U.S. Research and Education community and like communities abroad. Past NSRC assistance has ranged from technical information that is archived on Internet servers (e-mail responder, Gopher, World Wide Web) to on-site consulting, teaching at workshops, and on-the-job training in the U.S. By providing technical assistance to numerous countries around the world, and by tracking international connectivity developments, the NSRC has established and maintains an extensive base of contacts willing to contribute their time and expertise to further these efforts. Under the previous NSF award, the NSRC contributed significantly to the creation of national or regional networks in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and several former Soviet states, and in South, Southeast, East, and Central Asia as well as to some start-up K-12 network systems in the US. Visit the NSRC at URL:www.nsrc.org.
