On February 24th, the conference "Development of e-services in Podlaskie Voivodeship - opportunities and examples" took place online and gathered about 80 participants. This open event was addressed primarily to public institutions from the Podlaskie Voivodeship which can apply under the announced call for proposals from the Regional Operational Program of the Podlaskie Voivodeship 2014-2020 for the development of electronic services in administration.

This is a great opportunity not only to introduce the subject of broadly understood e-services through examples of good practices, but also to encourage you to apply in the recently announced competition concerning the development of electronic services

(Joanna Sarosiek, director of the Department of Regional Development of the Marshal's Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship)

Katarzyna Kitlas, deputy director of Department of Regional Development, described the conditions of applying for funds for the Development of electronic services in administration and indicated the differences compared to previous calls for proposals of this type, including a new project selection criterion: "Online consultation service with users (inhabitants/ entrepreneurs) in terms of their opinions, comments and proposals, aimed at introducing improvements tailored to the real user needs”. As she pointed out, the new criterion is the result of the Next2Met project and inspiration from the good practice of the Irish partner, Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly.

Participants were also informed that for those applicants who would like to consult the planned projects, individual consultations have been launched, which can be registered through an online form on the Office's website.

"We care about the best preparation of applications that we receive. Projects in the field of e-services in administration will serve us all" - underlined director Katarzyna Kitlas.

During the event, a short online survey was conducted to get some information about the participants, whether they had already benefited from funds for the development of electronic services and what kind of support they are interested in under the announced call.

 

The participants of the meeting could also hear about examples of projects implemented in the area of digitization in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, which were described by the invited guests. Invited representatives from Książnica Podlaska in Białystok (Podlaskie Library in Białystok) talked about the third edition of the "Treasury of culture" project, thanks to which the library's resources were digitized. Representative from Poviat Starosty in Sokółka described the development of electronic services in the administration of the Sokolka poviat.

The work on the ground for the development of better services in administration and the support provided to apply to new calls will certainly foster the digital transition of the public sector and benefit Podlaskie Voivodeship' citizens