The DECOM 2008 Seminar "Building Digital Educational Content Marketplaces: A Generational Opportunity for Publishing" will include keynote presentations, open discussion tables, and demonstration booths. Invited are 'C' level executives from the publishing industry, academic open-courseware initiatives, and governmental bodies around the world who are interested in reshaping and redefining the underlying pedagogical, technical and business models for distributing educational content in the context of widely available digital personal media and broadband networks.

Educational publishing needs to adopt more open and standard architectures, formats, and distribution models, effectively blending free and published content offerings through innovative business models. The goal is to avoid leaving anybody behind in the global need for more accessible and sustainable educational resources.

This represents a generational opportunity for educational publishing, and the effort will reward those who are smart enough to catch the innovation wave and reshape their models by engendering sustainable business paradigms and models.


The results of delegates' deliberations will be summarised in a shared document - 'The Sestri DECOM Declaration'. This will be presented to the EU Commission as a set of suggested policy actions to support a transition towards digital content marketplaces for educational publishing in Europe.


Participation in the DECOM Workshop is by invitation only. To request an invitation, please contact the event manager, Minna Leikas. Requests must indicate your affiliation with, and engagement in, this topic. Places will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis.