"Benchmarking & Fostering Transformative uses of ICT in EU regions"
The TRANSFORM parallel session will be an excellent opportunity to share and discuss with the project beneficiaries the proyect key findings, highlighting ways to better measure and understand the difference in European regions’ performance in the knowledge-based economy and society, and increase awareness of how regional policy-making can help promote positive transformative change.
The first part of the session will be structured on the two strands of research carried out by TRANSFORM as well as on the policy recommendations drawn from its key findings and outcomes.
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The first strand of research has focused on the role of ‘regional innovation cultures’ in explaining the varying performances of different regions, and their specific contexts, in regard to the impacts of the Information Society policies being delivered. Here the key findings of the project result from theory-led research which has been tested against in-depth interpretative case-studies of 12 European regions. .
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The second strand of research has focused on the development and refinement of methods for benchmarking regions according to uses of ICT which appear to be of most relevance for regional development. This strand of research began due to the acknowledgement that new indicators are needed to better reflect the fact that it is not ICTs in themselves, but the ways in which they are utilised by a region’s actors which really count for social and economic development. The key findings presented will be supported by the results of a pilot internet user survey conducted in the 12 regions which were studied by the project.
This will be an excellent final opportunity to discuss findings and collect new inputs from a wider platform of experts through active audience participation. The session will offer delegates open debate along with a roundtable discussion with invited experts from different European Regions.
Finally the project stand in the exhibition area will be an opportunity to present the products developed to tailor the key project outcomes to the specific needs of its target audiences.
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Project Overview
TRANSFORM - Benchmarking and Fostering Transformative use of ICT in EU Regions is a Support Specific Action project of the 6th Framework Programme that aims to contribute for a greater understanding about the differences among European regions in using ICT to bring about positive transformative change with regard to their economic and social prospects; and to the development of a set of policy recommendations and policy-making support tools which are meant to support policy-makers and practitioners related with the development of the Information Society in the European regions.
To this end the project TRANSFORM has drawn up a conceptual framework to better understand transformational use of ICT and its relation to regional development; and constructed a set of tested indicators on ICT-related transformative change at regional level.
The project policy recommendations focus particularly on informing the i2010 policy process, suggesting ways in which it can be refined and improved to take greater account of regional disparities and of the wider influences behind the transformative use of ICT rather than merely their availability and uptake.
www.transform-eu.org |