aconium, along with Interreg North Sea Region COM³ and CORA project partners, Intercommunale Leiedal and Vinje Municipality, are partners of the 20th European Week of Regions and Cities on 10-13 October 2022.
The European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek) is the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy. It has grown to become a unique communication and networking platform, bringing together regions and cities from all over Europe, including politicians, administrators, experts, and academics. Over the last 19 years, it has done much to promote policy learning and the exchange of good practice. The 20th edition will take place on 10-13 October 2022 in a hybrid format.
“aconium is officially selected as a partner of the 20th European Week of Regions and Cities and is proud to contribute to the topic of “Digital Transition”. Along with Interreg COM³ and CORA project partners, the Belgium Intercommunale Leiedal and Norwegian Vinje Municipality, aconium will host a stand and present the learning platform “ruraldigital.eu – a tool for municipalities & regions to tech-enable their administration and SMEs”.
Smart Rural Journey
In a dedicated pitch session, Dr. Peyman Khodabakhsh, head of the Smart Regions team at aconium, and Bieke Blauwblomme, project manager at Intercommunale Leiedal, will present an innovative approach to helping local and regional authorities embark on a smart journey. Building on the findings of the two Interreg North Sea Region projects COM³ and CORA, they will demonstrate the power of collaboration between municipalities and regions across Europe. Via the learning platform ruraldigital.eu, both projects tackle the most pressing challenges to overcome the digital divide in rural areas and offer training solutions that allow everyone – citizens, small businesses, and administrations – to gain the digital skills they need. The session will detail three easy-to-understand steps (assess, inspire, train), that will help municipalities and regions start their transformation toward a fair and inclusive digital future.
More about COM³ – Building COMpetencies for COMpetitive COMpanies
COM³ partners in 9 pilot regions in all North Sea Region countries are testing creative solutions to train, coach, and accompany local companies to adopt digital technologies. They are developing a unique support model including guiding measures, training, and coaching solutions. These solutions are accessible to local and regional authorities via the online learning platform ruraldigital.eu.
aconium leads the strategic communication in COM³ and together with Intercommunale Leiedal coordinates the project management activities. aconium also contributes to developing the project methodology and the COM³ training model in cooperation with the academic partners. With long-lasting experience and a broad network in digital innovation, aconium also supports the German project partner Amt Hüttener Berge in carrying out the German pilot project and actively promotes the project findings at the EU stages.
More about CORA – Connecting Remote Areas with Digital Infrastructure and Service
CORA supports local authorities in pilot regions in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany in identifying common challenges and encourages them to share experiences and develop innovative digital solutions. CORA partners are also developing a model with a comprehensive guide to digitalisation in rural areas. The project aims at creating a digital ecosystem by equally developing digital infrastructure, services and skills in rural areas. In the CORA project, aconium is project developer, project partner, head of the communication work package, and transnational project, communication and financial manager in cooperation with the lead partner Intercommunale Leiedal from Belgium.