EMIRES

supported economic development and the creation of new jobs in some less favoured regions by providing suitable mobility. This project was applied to a market where many customers and companies do not have access to appropriate transport means and associated services, and therefore EMIRES offered a unique chance of successfully merging forces from Regions and the private sector and, together, better serving consumers. (http://www.emires.net/)

Rural Wins

This Thematic Network aimed to build a strategic RTD roadmap developing an Information and Communication Technologies vision which ensures the economically and technically feasible deployment of information and communication solutions for rural areas (including also maritime regions and islands). The project analysed: trends in technology development of equipment needed and foreseen; deployment of services which integrate the equipment; and knowledge management development which will allow the integration of the above for the globalised rural work and life environment. The Thematic Network analysed different scenarios of joint public and private initiatives and business models to be constituted in the near future. RURAL WINS solution lowers the discriminatory gap nowadays existing between rural and urban areas as regards broadband accessibility and applications deployment. (http://www.ruralwins.net/index.htm)