NOKISNOKIS – Information Society in PROJECT TOTAL EU POPULATION REGION COUNTRY ELIGIBILITY ACRONYM BUDGET FUNDING (%) COVERED

NOKIS North ECU 500,000 50 Objective 6 175,000 ~

PROJECT OVERVIEW & KEY OBJECTIVES REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP

The aim of the Nokis project is to make North Kare- The Steering Committee and core group have lia a model province where all citizens, enterprises strong membership from actors responsible for eco- and public organisations can work and act as mem- nomic development and project funding in the bers of a global Information Society. Nokis empha- province. This facilitates communication between sises the Social Shaping of Technology, that is, the partners and co-operation projects. Nokis receives dialogue between different actors in society; private information on projects being planned and co-ordi- individuals, different organisations and technologi- nates them as they are developed. cal developers. In the process of creating the Infor- mation Society in , special emphasis is NOKIS Steering Committee placed on common areas of activity and intensive • Regional Council of North Karelia interaction between relevant regional actors. • Employment and Economic Development Centre The Nokis programme makes North Karelia an for North Karelia “Information Society Laboratory”. Nokis can be - Labour Market Department described as a joint Information Society working- - Rural Department party. The challenges are to prevent exclusion in - Business Department society, increase the attractiveness of rural areas, • University of / Faculty of Forestry support regional competitiveness, create new jobs, • Perlos Ltd and enhance technological know-how and expert- • City of Joensuu ise. The tools of this work party are regional co-oper- • North Karelia Regional Environment Centre ation, extensive discussion amongst citizens, policy • Arts Council of North Karelia definition and the creation of projects which con- • Sonera Ltd tribute to regional socio-economic development. • Joensuu Telephone Company • University of Joensuu / Karelian Research Institute INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT • Provincial State Office of Eastern Finland, Social and Health Department of Joensuu There has been extensive consensus building on the Information Society in North Karelia. The project has Partnerships are most naturally formed through dif- a modelno direct prconnectionovince with party politics and this ferent projects and as many actors as possible are enables us to operate as a neutral forum of discus- sought to join projects guided by Nokis. This also where allsion. Democratic citizens, representation works through the allows Nokis to realise large scale actions with a Steering Committee and core groups. significant impact on socio-economic develop- enterprises and ment. Partnership and information sharing are sup- ported by seminars and working groups. The Nok- public organisations isnet-programme is used to maintain and form partnerships. This ‘actornet’ is important for the fol- can work and act as lowing reasons: (i) exchange of best practise;

members of a global (ii) shared resources (expertise and facilities);

(iii) active input and feedback into developing the Information Society strategy and action plan;

(iv) realising the social shaping of technology idea in practice;

(v) widespread participation.

20 North Karelia

PILOT PROJECTS RESULTS FROM NOKIS

Many projects have been carried out in the Nokis The user-oriented Information Society model is now arena. The most important project is ‘Upper Kare- a part of the provincial development strategy and it lia towards an Information Society’, which aims to has also been taken into account in the develop- prevent inequality and exclusion throught the help mental resources for the area. By acting as a proj- of modern IT by developing new services for citi- ect arena, Nokis has succeeded in starting projects zens. The target group of the project ‘Citizenship, carried out together and has also received funds for gender and IT’ are women, who are often in danger the development of the province. of being excluded from the Information Society One of the focal points in the regional development because of their poor knowledge of IT. plan for 2000-2006 is an Information Society of The project ‘Development of content industry and skilled citizens. Successful regional development in multimedia companies’ has been created because a remote area is not possible if technology is handed of the important role of IT companies in the creation down from above and without participation from process of Information Society. North Karelian users. That is why it is important to create arenas know-how of multimedia has been centered in the where the social shaping of technology is realised small area of principal town. The project ‘Media and a common goal for the development is set. Lieksa’ creates opportunities for IT expertise also The following objectives for the development of elsewhere in the province. provincial Information Society have been estab- The project ‘Internet training of village associations lished: and home pages for villages’ helps people living in 1. Create joint working networks where the province’s rural areas to use the tools of the Information Soci- developers contribute to realising a cooperative ety. ‘Ten steps towards an Information Society’ is a provincial Information Society strategy; radio programme about the IS. Nokis aims to be a project for every citizen of North Karelia and radio 2. create user-oriented solutions on the basis of is the way to reach them. these networks; Due to high levels of unemployment the project 3. active parOneticipation ofof citizens the in building focal an Infor- points ‘New markets of long distance work and workers’ mation Society; in Lieksa has been created to develop new labour 4. contributein thr oughthe the Nor rthegional Karelian Information development market mechanisms. Society laboratory to a positive, transferable and manageableplan regional for development 2000-2006 plan is an Information Society of skilled citizens

¨ CONTACT

Satu Ahonen-Hawkins, Project manager E-mail: [email protected];; http://nokisnet.carelian.fi

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