The project focuses on narrowing the gap in access to broadband services in rural areas. The project intends to achieve this by undertaking a series of activities, which will result in a set of recommendations identifying broadband strategies for an increased implementation and use at a transnational, regional and local level.

E-Voice aims to increase public influence and participation in political decision-making by improving the communication and interaction between citizens and politicians as well as public officials. The participating public authorities will also make available important information for citizens in a more user-friendly and accessible way.

The project has been prepared as a tool to stimulate and accelerate the process of sustainable innovations. The main idea behind the project is to create an interregional co-operation on sustainable innovation between relevant stakeholders in order to foster the start-up and development of innovative companies, products and tools.

This project will develop tools and strategies including online mapping, data storage and data analysis for managing and sharing geodata. The long term aim is for these tools and strategies to contribute to better and more open governance as well as a more balanced application of information and communication technology in the North Sea region.

The project is looking into the most practical and environmentally sound option for wastewater treatment processes to eliminate TBT and reduce heavy metals in dockyards. Pilot projects will test solutions and results will be integrated into a decision support tool for use across the region and beyond.

The project supports SMEs in the 8 participating regions to increase and improve their use of ICT. In the first module the ICT use among 100 SMEs/region will be surveyed. On the basis of this study 30-50 SMEs/region will receive an ICT audit and the proposed solutions will be implemented. The audit and its implementation will then be evaluated. This evaluation together with other important experiences gained in the project will be developed into a best practice guide.

The project aims to turn local governments into stronger players in the local economy. On the one hand by improving internal processes. On the other hand by strengthening their relations with particularly local companies (government to business relations) and with other governmental levels (government to government relations). The focus will be on how to use ICT to: · Improve local government processes (e-administration) · Improve service development and distri-bution (e-services) · Improve public-private interaction (e-society)

The project aims to increase the share of biomass in energy production. Activities are split up in four themes where the three first ones focus on testing and demonstrating new technologies and processes within different local/regional pilot projects on biogas, biomass and bio fuel. Three pilot plants and one pilot pelletiser will also be set up in the participating regions. The pilot projects will result in new data and models on integrated supply chains. To disseminate project outcomes and develop the bioenergy market the partnership will also run an awareness campaign and develop a virtual market place.

Sutranet aims to improve the knowledge base for decision-making regarding transport networks and intermodal transport around the North Sea. The partnership mainly consists of universities and research institutions and target groups are ports and other infrastructure providers, transport operators and public authorities. The project will try to put research into practice by developing innovative solutions, an environmental impact model and a curriculum for training modules relating to intermodal transport. Policy-makers and practical implementers will follow project activities through a User Group.