Calibre - which stands for Coordinated Action for LIBRE (open source) software - is a two-year, €1.5 million Irish-based EU initiative to boost the adoption of open source software and encourage best practice open source development processes.

Fronted by Professor Brian Fitzgerald of University of Limerick, Calibre will also be coordinated by UCC and will involve an interdisciplinary consortium of 12 academic and industrial research teams from France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and China.

Prof Fitzgerald says Calibre is targeting organisations that are heavy users of software but aren't yet familiar with open source, such as the automotive, telecommunications and consumer electronics industries.

A key element of the project is the creation of an industry forum to offer help and advice on developing open source business models, patent information, and development ideas.

"The EU really went for that," he says. "The open source software message is just of such interest to companies right now."