digital cities

our partnership with the British Council

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What is Digital Cities?

The digital cities project connects cities of the UK and six countries of Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) through Digital Industries. The project supports prosperity, security and stability of the UK and the region, by sharing and enhancing digital policies and strategies of city administrations and developing skills and collaboration capacities of digital professionals across WB and UK. Since December 2017, 24 Cities have signed up to participate in policy dialogue and development in WB and UK and over 50 digital hubs have actively joined the programme. From January 2018, we have conducted a needs analysis of 129 digital businesses in WB and developed an intensive mobility, capacity development and collaboration programme to connect and strengthen digital industry collaboration between the UK and WB.

 

DIGITAL CITIES ACTIVITIES include:

• Kick off conference for policy makers and industry professionals in WB, building on the UK experience and case studies (Budva, Montenegro, January 2018)

• UK-WB policy dialogue and networking for City administrations engaged in digital policy and strategy development (London, UK, January 2018)

• Digital Industries capacity development and networking programme for UK and WB digital professionals (Manchester, UK, February 2018)

• Digital bootcamp for professionals from 39 WB Hubs and SMEs (Mokrin, Serbia, February 2018)

• Mobility scheme for WB and UK digital professionals to include shad-owing, knowledge sharing, exchange, skills and collaboration development (February-March 2018)

• Short intensive collaboration projects between UK and WB in the area of digitalising cities, innovation in creative industries and digital education (February-March 2018)

• Final conference bringing together UK and WB professionals and policy makers to present existing collaboration projects and open up opportunities for continued relationships in digital industries.

• Digital Cities project is funded by the UK Government and implemented by British Council in partnership with Creative England and Culture Code across Western Balkans and United Kingdom.