eIFL.net started in October 1999, as an initiative of the Open Society Institute (OSI), a private grant-making and operating foundation, part of the Soros Foundation network. Its goal was to bring affordable access to e-resources to the countries in its network. For this multi-country initiative, the national site license model was adopted. In return for the stated price per country, an unlimited number of libraries could register for access and an unlimited number of users could use the services simultaneously. With this model, OSI not only sought to address the growing digital divide between East and West, North and South, but also to ensure equitable access within each country. In 2003, eIFL.net became an independent foundation, incorporated in the Netherlands and with an office in Rome, Italy.