Smart Regions

Landkreis Rotenburg-Wümme and its municipalities installed a user-friendly web-enabled software solution aimed at registering new start-up businesses. The objectives were to avoid redundant data and have all business registration data stored on a server in one central database. The data collected by the municipalities is transmitted via internal glass fiber network to that server. Depending on different user rights, every authority involved in the business registration workflow is able to see and use the data. External authorities get access via a secure internet interface.

The business mapping application of Waregem allows the city to understand and see all the information relating to all the businesses on its territory, irrespective of where this information comes from: federal, Flemish or from its own data sources. Waregem was the very first municipality in Belgium to obtain a full and up-to-date picture of all its (4,500) companies. Information about all these companies is available electronically, including: the nature of activities, location of activities, number of employees, annual account, export destinations etc.

People and businesses need to know not only what services local administrations provide but also where the nearest services are. This is not just about what is geographically nearest as they may exist on the edge of a service delivery or catchment area so the location which serves them may not be nearest in terms of miles.

An unforeseen side-effect of the ICT4SMEs project was the development of a close relationship between Noorderpoort College Groningen in the Netherlands and Rogaland Education Center Stavanger in Norway. Both institutes are involved in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and further professional development. Together with the regional job agencies and Eures Cross-border they set up a project to tackle the lack of a skilled workforce in the Rogaland region by developing special training courses for unemployed workers in the Groningen region.

Norfolk was one of the last areas in the UK to have its exchanges enabled for ADSL. However work had identified considerable demand for broadband from the Norwich area in particular as there are a high concentration of creative sector and knowledge companies. Norfolk Open Link is a £1.35m two-year pilot project to evaluate the impact that mobile technology could have on economic development in Norfolk and the delivery of public services. It provides a broadband wireless network covering a large area of Norwich City  centre and key locations in the rural district of South Norfolk.

Organizations in Norfolk had no common and easy-to-use source of data for planning service delivery. This was especially key for the Shaping Norfolk's Future economic partnership. An observatory has been created (www.norfolkdata.net) and populated with data and users have been trained. The range of data provided has been expanded from its original base to include health and crime related data as well as skills, employment, poverty, age etc.

The function of a helpdesk is to act as front office, as contact point for the customers and also to discharge the downstream areas in their communication to the customer as intermediary. The more distinct this task is, the further its processes extend to other core processes of the IT Management. With the aim of being consumer-friendly - offering a fast, friendly and professional solution - the HelpDesk has the important task of dealing with and solving a large number of disturbances and consumer inquiries directly.

The idea behind this project is to offer books of vouchers simply and quickly to a broad target group. Interested parties are able to order their books over the company website (www.elbono.de) and they can decide for themselves if they want to print them directly online or if they want a hardback version by mail. The administration of the system, the customers and the voucher suppliers are carried out in the integrated backend system. The company website offers their customers a rating system where they can rate the quality of the suppliers of the vouchers.

Meetingpoint Wermland (Handelsplaats Wermland) offers a range of services designed by the Wermland Chamber of Commerce to permit the cost-effective exchange of electronic invoices. Meetingpoint Wermland offers solutions for both those who wish to receive and those who wish to send electronic invoices. These solutions are modified to fit in with the existing technical standards and administrative routines of the companies and municipalities, regardless of company size, branch or number of invoices. It furnishes all participants with suitable tools, training and project support.

The ICT Innovation Center is a centre for innovative learning, based on modern ICT. As part of a Regional Education Center (ROC Noorderpoort College) it develops e-learning material on a broad scale for the College itself as well as outside. Working closely together with SMEs in the North Netherlands region, it develops tailor-made training materials according to specific needs of these companies. Virtual learning environments, web-based trainings, video clips, all these materials are designed by working groups consisting of technical programmers and pedagogues.