A new online communication service will be developed and designed by the citizens in cooperation with regional/local actors in rural/structurally weaker areas.

i-COIN will enable people to initiate a dialogue and quickly obtain resolutions to their concerns using a communication system with terminals located at the countryside or over the internet.
The need for better public & other services for the citizens in rural/structurally weaker areas brought together the partners, which want to improve these services by better developed e-government/e-service through a participatory dialogue. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity and confidence of local and regional administrations to provide better services and effectively engage in the adaptation to a knowledge society by developing solutions and policies on e-government.

The main target groups of the i-COIN project are citizens, NGOs (non government associations), SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and local/regional administration. The proposal was initiated by the Municipality of Svenljunga in co-operation with West Sweden which, through the assistance of the seed money facility, now co-operate with North Denmark, Rehna & Osterholz (DE), Tamsalu (EE), EUCC Baltic office (LT), University College of Borås (SE), the Cities on Internet Association (POL), and Kymenlaakso Polytechnic (FIN).

The partnership represents disadvantaged regions; committed to innovation & excellence and to maximising the value of public sector assets in achieving economic & social cohesion.  The main activities of the project will be:

• Knowledge sharing on the overall theme of e-government services
• Development of transnational e-government/e-services solution
• Awareness raising and dissemination
• Pilot application implementation for e-government/e-services
• Evaluation of the e-government/e-services solution

The partners will jointly develop & deliver a concrete product in form of an user-driven e-government/e-service platform internally evaluated in a 2-phase process through the cooperation of local/regional partnerships of competent partners.

The results will be:

• the piloted e-gov./e-service solution, transfer of knowledge, experience and best practices, redeveloping the concept of ICT between regions, improved rural services, policies & practices through design and delivery of effective participatory knowledge sharing around various themes/sectors.
• Learning how ICT services can support efforts to regenerate regional economies and local communities;
• identifying models of development making sense in the context of differing circumstances across the project;
• generating ‘know-how´ for spin-off development for disadvantaged and rural  areas that supports partner regions to promote and adapt into the information/knowledge society.