Sunderland, a Living Lab
 A Living Lab is about experimentation and co-creation with real users in real life environments, where users together with researchers, firms and public institutions look together for new solutions, new products, new services or new business models.
But also Living Labs are about societal involvement, about promoting innovation in a societal basis, involving academia, SME's, public institutions and large companies in an Open Innovation process that because happens in real environments has an immediate impact. This is how Living Labs aim to contribute to a new Innovation System where users and citizens become active actors and not only passive receivers.
View more on Living Labs here 
Promoting Social Inclusion through ICT.
 The
e-Neighbourhoods Programme actively promotes the use of, and facilitates
access to, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) within
the City of Sunderland working closely with the voluntary and community
group sector.
By exciting interests in new technologies and the possibilities
they offer, the Programme is working to enable all citizens access
to ICT and the opportunities that it affords. We encourage everyone
regardless of age, gender, occupational or social status and ethnicity
to make better use of the facilities within their communities. Our
aim is to promote social inclusion by facilitating the participation
of local people in a pro-active role, and to assist the development
of Community based ICT provision.
In doing this, the Programme enables access to alternative channels
of Local Government and service provision to those citizens for
whom choices are limited due to their social or economic status.
Access to technologies, skills and training, promotes participation
in the democratic process, increases government transparency, encourages
cross-community dialogue, improves channels of consultation, engages
with, and encourages participation from, all citizens.
We hope that by engaging local people, providing access to new
technologies and building community capacity we can help ensure
everyone is given the means to access a world of information and
knowledge.
Click on a link below to view more information on key areas of
the project;
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