Hacklab Cosenza

Hacklab Cosenza (HLCS) is an indipendent hackerspace in the heart of University of Calabria (Unical). Founded in 2004 by a group of students, originally to serve as a less structured and formal research center for computer science Unical alumni, it grew over the years as a hub for local hackers interested in technology and digital hacktivism. After the inital focus on the free software ethos and open source development advocacy, HLCS became a home for local hackers to experiment and share experiences in the expansion of hacker culture into new venues such as open culture, open hardware, maker movement, community networks, open data and so forth. Ensemble tinkering and hands-on approach aside, Hacklab Cosenza since the start has organized training activities and courses on topics across the digital spectrum, available for both Unical students and outsiders: professional certifications, Linux and programming courses, Arduino training, and so on. Examples of milestone include: organizing the first two editions of the Free Software Italian Conference back in 2007 and 2008; Cisco NetAcademy status in 2009; bootstrap of the regional sub-network of the Ninux.org Italian Community Network; full-fledged partnership with Unical's ICT Center in 2016. Organization of events, open days, talks, seminars has been the cornerstone of HLCS mission to share knowledge of technology and its intersection with other disciplines and has continued since the beginning, providing to many people the first contact point with a variety of topics concerning technology and its applications.