European e-Inclusion Awards to help fight the digital divide
European Commission launches the 2008 European e-Inclusion Awards to help fight the digital divide
The European Commission has just launched the first ever European e-Inclusion Awards. As part of the European Commission’s e-Inclusion Initiative, the Awards will celebrate the best and most imaginative uses of Information and Communications Technology to reduce digital and social exclusion.
(19/05/2008) Digital technologies are an essential part of daily life. We use them at work, in day-to-day relationships, in dealing with public services, and a lot more besides. They touch our lives in ways which we are often unaware of, or don’t even think about. Yet an estimated 1 in 3 Europeans fail to benefit from new technologies.
Overcoming this ‘digital exclusion’ is not just a social necessity, it is estimated that it could be worth up to €85 billion to European companies and governments over the next five years. The European e-Inclusion Awards aim to inspire progress and to encourage industry, governments and other organisations to exploit information and communication technologies to combat social and digital exclusion.
The European e-Inclusion Awards are open to organisations in the public, business and voluntary sector or civil society. There are seven competition categories:
- Ageing well
- Marginalised Young People
- Geographic Inclusion
- Cultural Diversity
- Digital Literacy
- e-Accessibility
- Inclusive Public Services
Entries will close on the 12th September 2008 and five finalists in each category will be invited to exhibit at the Ministerial Conference on E-Inclusion to be held in Vienna in December 2008 as part of the “e-Inclusion:Be Part of It!” campaign (see http://ec.europa.eu/einclusion ). The overall winners will be announced at the Awards dinner and ceremony.
For more information on the Awards or to register, contact the awards team on +44 207 234 3538 or visit the website http://www.e-inclusionawards.eu
