Community of Science is a collaborative network of more than 200,000 scientists and scholars and their institutions whose goal is to accelerate science and promote the visibility and funding of scientific research. Powered by Punch technology, the co-branded service is called COS WebGroups, and enables users to access, share and automatically update files of any size via the Web, using just their Web browser. The service is expected to launch by the end of August.

"COS is dedicated to helping scientists find funding, collaborate, and promote their research," said COS Marketing Manager Jesse Jacoby. "WebGroups is a superb addition to the COS Workbench and will complement our other member services, such as Funding Alert, COS Expertise, and Funded Research. With COS WebGroups, researchers will have access to important documents any time, and will also have the ability to share them with anyone else on the Web."

"It's a perfect fit," said Punch Networks CEO and President. "Collaboration is an integral part of research. Punch WebGroups is designed make file sharing and collaboration easy. We're confident that COS members will quickly see and experience the benefits of using WebGroups to share and update their files."

About WebGroups
A WebGroup is a private page on a secure Web site in which a user or a collection of users can securely store files they wish to share using just their browser. Any time a user changes a document and uploads it to the WebGroup, the system notifies the other members of that WebGroup via email that the document has changed. The other members can then come to the site and download the new version of the file directly to their machine, automatically updating the existing version.

Importantly, WebGroups uploads and downloads only the information that changes between versions of a document, so updates occur quickly. The site is password-protected and files are encrypted on the server to ensure security. Because the service is Web-based, users can access their files from any Internet-enabled machine.

COS joins leading Internet companies, including Excite.com, Intellifact.com, PowerStudents.com, Workz.com and others in the Punch Networks Hosting Partner Program. The Program offers two different options to partners seeking to offer its Web-based file access, sharing and updating service to their customers. In the first option, partners can offer a version of WebGroups (customized to reflect their branding and identity), from their site with Punch Networks providing the back-end hosting service and support. In the second option, partners can purchase the WebGroups server software, customize the interface to reflect their branding, and install and maintain it on their systems.

About Punch Networks Corporation
Founded by David Campbell in 1995, Punch Networks develops software products and technologies that help people effectively manage changing digital information. The company's first service/product, Punch WebGroups, lets anyone access, share and automatically update their files using just their Web browser. The Company offers WebGroups as a hosted service to business partners, and also sells an Enterprise version of Punch WebGroups, (due in October), through a network of Value Added Resellers.

For more information, visit the Punch Networks website at www.punchnetworks.com, email info@punchnetworks.com, or call (206) 343-7661.

About COS
Community of Science, Inc. develops Web-based products to help scientists and scholars find funding, promote their research, and collaborate with colleagues. The Company produces COS Expertise, the leading database of researcher profiles from more than 600 research institutions worldwide; and COS Funding Opportunities, the largest source of grant information available on the Web. The Company also produces the COS Abstract Management System (AMS), a customizable online publishing solution that enables scholarly societies to manage scientific conferences and meetings on the Web. COS was founded in 1988 by the Johns Hopkins University and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The COS chairman is Alfred R. Berkeley, III, the president of the NASDAQ stock market.

Community of Science Contact:
Jesse Jacoby, 410-563-2378 x220
jdj@cos.com
www.cos.com