EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is introducing the EBSCO FOLIO Innovation Challenge. The grant program will award $100,000 in grants to libraries to develop innovative technology solutions that address the challenges academic libraries face.
A total of $100,000 will be awarded to multiple institutions—grants between $5,000 and $20,000 each. The EBSCO FOLIO Innovation Challenge grants will be awarded to projects that leverage the FOLIO codebase and address current opportunities in library technology. Grant winners also may have the opportunity to take part in a startup incubator program designed to support the creation of tools for academic libraries.
In June 2016, the FOLIO project was announced to bring together libraries and service providers looking to reshape the future of libraries and develop new technologies. This community-based project, which stands for the Future of Libraries is Open, provides a platform for libraries, service providers and other organizations to team up to redefine library automation via open source projects and develop new applications that extend the library into new areas.
EBSCO is among the funders of the FOLIO project and is contributing resources to the development of the FOLIO library services platform (LSP). The Innovation Challenge is looking for apps that will change the way libraries interact with end users, faculty, and other departments. The goal is to extend the services libraries provide and improve the library workflow as well as how they serve their users.
Winning proposals will be designed to support academic libraries and will advance the adoption of FOLIO as a platform, support new services, and extend the library into new areas; solve a problem for libraries, not just a given institution; and provide innovation in a current area of library technology.
The FOLIO code and documentation is available at http://dev.folio.org. EBSCO FOLIO Innovation Challenge grants will be awarded between July 2017 and April 2018. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals early at foliogrants@ebsco.com. Additional information is provided in an FAQ on the website.
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