ISF History

Informaticiens Sans Frontières was founded by Silvano de Gennaro and Viola Krebs in December 2003, following the production of a film, shot in Senegal and Mali. The video, named Something from Nothing, was shown at the first World Summit for the Information Society, in Geneva. It addresses the impact of ICT technologies on developing countries, with a particular emphasis on socio-cultural aspects.

While playing the role of film director, Silvano, as an IT Engineer, could see real solutions to the problems he was filming. Upon his return to Switzerland, ISF was founded as a club at CERN, with its mission to find global sustainable solutions to problems related to the Digital Divide. Today, ISF provides a comprehensive, well-structured approach to ICT solutions, encompassing everything from literacy software to improving ICT markets and infrastructure.