CO-LaN stands for CAPE-OPEN Laboratories Network. This is the organization that carries forward the work of CAPE-OPEN initiated in the European funded projects CAPE-OPEN, Global CAPE-OPEN and GCO Support. CO-LaN activities include promoting CAPE-OPEN, developing and improving CAPE-OPEN standards, and generally insuring the success of the CAPE-OPEN concept and principles.
When significant projects are required (e.g. for the creation or updating of an interface standard specification), task forces of interested organizations are created for the task rather than staffing the CO-LaN to be able to handle such major efforts. CO-LaN was incorporated as a non-for-profit Society in January 2001.