Project Overview

European citizens do not participate equally in the Information society: in fact, the digital gap is moving down from infrastructures to uses. Based on this observation, local authorities in Europe have developed Digital Public Spaces (DPS) promoting e-inclusion.

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3.Computer technology Institute and Press “Diophantus” (GR)

 

Who are we?
 
The Computer Technology Institute & Press - Diophantus) CTI www.cti.gr was established in 1985AS A Research Institute  in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and it operates under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Education (MoE).
 
CTI has undertaken the strategic role of supporting the MoE in exploiting Information and Communication Technologies in Education; thus, a major part of CTI basic and applied research has been inspired from the fact that CTI supports the National Education and schools. CTI has also undertaken the design, co-ordination, and supervision of national largescale projects for the development and localization of educational software and learning activities. Moreover CTI has a leading role in the development and running of the Greek Schools' Network (GSN - www.sch.gr).
 
CTI’s Sector of Telematics and Applications for regional development (Telematics Center) was established with the basic objective to enhance regional development through the effective use of new ICT for the regions covered from the institute.
 
 
Basic aims of this department are:
 
§         To operate as a lever for regional development and interregional collaboration
§         To carry out applied research for the development and support of specialized ICT applications for the public and private regional sectors (in Western Greece)
§         To develop, support and operate information systems useful for the activities of education in Greece
 
The sector has significant experience in the following thematic areas:
 
§         World Wide Web technologies and applications,
§         mobile technologies and services,
§         social networking technologies for education and lifelong learning.
§         Activities dealing with rural digital divide
 
Where are we from?
 
The past
 
CTI is located in Patras in the Region of Western Greece. The Region of Western Greece stretches from the northwest part of the Peloponnese to the western tip of the Greek mainland. It contains the three Regional Units  of Achaia, Aitoloakarnania and Hleia, and covers an area of 11.350 square kilometres (8,6% of the total area of Greece). For the most part the terrain is mountainous (45,3%) or hilly (25,6%), while only 29,1% consists of plains. All three Regional Units have extensive coastal areas along the Ionian Sea and the Gulfs of Ambrakia, Patras and Corinth.
 
The population of Region of Western Greece is 680.190 inhabitants according the last Greek census of 2011. It is ranked 4th biggest region in Greece concerning its population, concentrating the 6,75 % of the total population of the country
 
The present
 
Western Greece is the Region with hardly a recognizable character, with a densely populated zone and clear tendencies towards an increase of the urbanization. The participation of Western Greece is, low in the shaping of a national GVA of the secondary sector (17%), but high enough (71%) as regards the tertiary sector. Hence, tertiary sector constitutes the primary production sector in the whole territorial section of Western Greece
 
Moreover, Western Greece shows a high unemployment rate and given that poverty is closely associated with unemployment, this Region has one of the highest rates of population threatened by poverty.
 
 
The future
 
The strategic priorities of the Region of Western Greece – as they are presenting in the Operational Program of Western Greece- are: a) to develop and modernise transport infrastructure, b) promote digital convergence with the use of ICT and support for entrepreneurship and c) support a sustainable development and quality of life.
 
With respect to Digital convergence & entrepreneurship in Western Greece, emphasis will be given in increasing investments in knowledge-intensive sectors and the reorientation of the productive dynamism of the economy into services and products of high added value. This will be pursued by the reinforcement of cooperation between universities, research institutes and enterprises, the set up of new companies including the modernisation of current ones, with emphasis on innovation and new technologies.
 
Why are we here?
 
The Sector for Regional development of CTI, participating in ECOOP project, has significant experience in the field of dealing with the rural digital divide problem through: - establishment and operation  of telecenters and promotion of e-services provision in rural territories, - supporting activities for eCompetences enhancement in rural territories.
 
E-COOP will facilitate CTI’s Sector for Regional Development to share important experiences on effective and innovative means to organize effective digital inclusion support and mediation activities in Europe. Apart from that, and since CTI plays an important role for the definition of local, regional and national policies on ICTs, it will monitoring the ECOOP’s local implementation plans definition and it will also implement a regional plan for Western Greece in collaboration with local stakeholders.
 
 
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