This presentation was held by Claude Gomez during the FITT conference „ICT Innovations: Research > Business > Society“ on 10 May 2011 in Brussels.

1. FROM SCIENCE TO BUSINESS
Free SCILAB Software
Dr. Claude Gomez
Scilab Enterprises CEO

2. Numerical Computation: Domain and Market
Major scientific challenges
 Education
 Research Strategic industry and service
sectors
 Industry

3. BUSINESS MODEL CHOICE
According to the market and the competitors
• Free and Open Source
• Choice of the appropriate license: for community and
companies
• Software must be adapted
• Economic model: free professional software
• Funding?

4. SOFTWARE EVOLUTION
• Adaptation to free and open source
• Cleaning
• Internal modules easy to modify and maintain Scilab 5
• Industrialisation
• Future:
• Ready for new computer generation:
Scilab 6
new kernel, HPC (multicore, GPU),
embedded systems …

5. ECONOMIC MODEL: step1
Secure the future:
• INRIA + DIGITEO + Consortium of Academics and Companies
Funding (2003 – 2012) :
•
• Consortium : 24 members
• ANR, competitiveness clusters (SYSTEMATIC), Europe (FP7)
Development
Dedicated team with 18 people: Maintenance
Promotion

6. ECONOMIC MODEL: step 2
Support and services are needed
Creation in June 2010 of the SCILAB ENTERPRISES company
delivering and publishing Scilab = Free software
 Training funded by
 Development and optimization of applications
 Customized versions
 Migrations to Scilab
 Scilab in the Cloud: Scilab As a Service and HPC
 Professional external modules

7. PLUS WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP
Services, development, promotion
Partnership
Scilab Enterprises
Example: EQUALIS for on line support

8. CONCLUSION
Key points:
1. Choose the good license and economic model:
depends on the domain and on the market
2. Adapt the software for both Free Community and
Industry
3. Deliver worldwide the needed services