Newcastle City Council is embarking on a ground-breaking E15m (£10m) development programme to become the first in a network of ‘digital cities’ across Europe. The first element of the ambitious five-year plan will be the autumn launch of a Newcastle.com web portal, providing businesses and citizens in the northeast with access to online services and information. Initially the portal will provide four key services, including a 'virtual labour market' where citizens can view employment opportunities and apply for vacancies online; a business-to-business marketplace bringing together buyers and suppliers; an electronic information directory about Newcastle and the North East, and online forums for the region's business clusters offering opportunities for networking and collaboration.
The portal will be developed by eLearning solutions provider Digitalbrain as a 'complementary service' to the local authority's existing website.
Newcastle's Cabinet Member for eGovernment, Councillor David Wood said that the new partnership represented a "major step" towards reaching the Government's e-services target.
"Newcastle.com is the embodiment of the competitive Newcastle strategy and it will give our region's businesses tools to work more effectively, whilst helping to secure economic interest nationally and within the EU," he added.
The project is being sponsored by the One North East Regional Development Agency and Tyne and Wear Business Link.
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Quelle: europemedia
