APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

ATOL

ATOL [updated March 2004]
Leuvensestraat 5/1
3010 Kessel-lo (Leuven)
BELGIUM

Contact: Peter Reyniers / Katrien Van Maldergem
Tel: +32 16 498300 Fax: +32 16 498301
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.atol.be/ 

ATOL is an independent and non-profit service centre created in 1976. It provides assistance to individuals and organisations that are professionally or in another active way involved in development co-operation and North/South relations.

ATOL - Information and knowledge management services in international co-operation - is an information centre which covers a wide range of topics associated with development including organisation development and empowerment, project cycle management, gender and information and knowledge management as main themes. Minor areas of interest are training and HRM, NGO policy, evaluation, participatory methods, microfinance, development education, campaining and lobbying, food security, technology transfer and small industries development. 
Its services have both a technical and a methodological focus. They are provided under the form of: 

• information 
• research 
• training 
• consultancy 

The ATOL documentation centre is a professional and practical library and information service, focusing on the operational aspects of development work. In its collections, much attention is paid to the four main areas of interest cited above: 

• subjects in the domain of project management are well represented: participatory methods for project planning, monitoring and evaluation, aspects of organisational and institutional development, financial management and similar; 
• general subjects also feature, such as: , technology transfer and its social consequences, development theory in general, culture, educational methods and strategies. 

The library is accessible to members both individual and corporate. A question and answer service is available to ATOL members and development staff or managers of organisations in the South . As far as information on specific countries is concerned, ATOL focuses on central Africa, due to its multiple contacts and activities in this geographical region. 

ATOL publishes a number of titles as a result of its research. An increasing number of these documents are available on its website

Collectif d'Échanges pour la Technologie Appropriée (COTA)

Collectif d'Échanges pour la Technologie Appropriée [Updated June 2004]
7 rue de la Révolution
1000 Brussels
BELGIUM

Contact: Colette Acheroy, Secretary General 

Tel: +32 2 218 1896 Fax: +32 2 223 1495

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.cota.be 

Le Collectif d'Échanges pour la Technologie Appropriée (COTA) is a non-governmental organisation which provides documentation, information and support to organisations in both North and South involved in development. The subject of COTA's work is development methods in general and appropriate technology in particular.

COTA maintains a documentation centre which includes a library open to the public. The centre is used to provide a question and answer service both for enquirers from the third world and from non-governmental organisations and volunteers from the North.

COTA has a substantial information resource on manufacturers and suppliers of appropriate technologies and, in addition, consultancy is provided and an annual seminar held. COTA publishes a quarterly journal Échos du COTA, seminar reports and other publications which may be made available free to appropriate organisations in developing countries.

GATE – German Appropriate Technology Exchange

German Appropriate Technology Exchange  [updated June 2004]
Postfach 5180
D-65 726 Eschborn
GERMANY

Contact: Mrs Carolin Bothe

Tel: +49 6196 794213 Fax: +49 6196 797352 
E-mail: [email protected]  / [email protected]  Web: http://www.gtz.de/gate 

GATE's objectives are to improve the technological competence of NGOs and other groups involved in self-help-oriented poverty alleviation and to develop information and knowledge management systems for NGOs and self-help groups. It supports transfer and exchange of technological knowledge through regional partners and a question and answer service, testing and dissemination of innovative technologies and networking and professionalisation of information services.

The GATE Information Service improves the technological knowledge of organisations and individuals involved in poverty alleviation projects in developing countries. 

GATE's Questions and Answer Service is specifically intended for use by enquirers from developing countries and non-profit organisations working in the development context. GATE can be contacted either by completing the online enquiry form by e-mail as well as through "traditional" channels. 
Every year, almost 2,500 customers receive individual advice from the GATE Information Service. In addition, the GATE Information Service advises also organisations on how to build up an own information service.

Information Sources: 

• GATE and GTZ documentation centres and databases with more than 50,000 documents; 
• World-wide expertise of GATE and GTZ staff;
• Technological sites and databases on the Internet; 
• Comprehensive documentation and expertise of world-wide partners, consultants and networks in the South and North. 

Type of Services:
Depending on the complexity of the enquiry, the GATE Informtion Service provides the following services and is still free of charge for users who belong to the target group: 

• Providing information on appropriate technologies, products, procedures and project experiences 
• Advice on how to build up an information service 
• Contacts to NGOs, experts and producers 
• Advice for the planning and realisation of technological projects in general 

The GATE Information Service answers all questions within the field of so-called appropriate technologies eg agriculture, energy, food processing, handycraft, water and sanitation. 

GATE Information Service uses both traditional and the latest, future-oriented communication technologies to provide state of the art information on appropriate technology:

• Most of the GATE publications are now available online (HTML or PDF format), on CD-Rom or can be ordered as hard copy. 
• An increasing number of technical briefs - fact sheets on frequently asked technical issues - are also available in PDF format. 
• Furthermore, GATE information Service offers a large collection (ca. 400) of useful internet links in the field of appropriate technology.. 

By establishing and extending regional networks, GATE is deliberately shifting part of its former work to countries of the South. 

ITDG Publishing

ITDG Publishing Bourton Hall, 
Bourton-on-Dunsmore, 
Rugby, Warks, 
CV23 9QZ 
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Toby Milner, Managing Director

Tel +44(0)1926 634501 Fax: +44(0)1926 634502

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.itdgpublishing.org.uk

ITDG Publishing (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications) publishes and distributes books and journals designed for use by development professionals in the North and South, offering the material for sale at as low a cost as possible. In conjunction with a number of UK and European development agencies, ITDG Publishing operates several 'book voucher schemes' which allow the supply of selected books of professional interest to Southern partners free of charge. The books from which the recipients of book vouchers can choose are those books in ITDG's Books by Post catalogue (600+ titles selected and recommended by technical experts) and some other specialised catalogues. The recipients of book vouchers are determined by ITDG's development agency partners and not by ITDG Publishing itself.