This project, called "Development of eSocieties in South Caucasus", is to run under the European Commission's TACIS Regional Cooperation Programme. As a production and transit area for oil and natural gas exports from the Caspian Sea to Europe, the southern Caucasus, comprising the independent republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, is important to world energy markets. Beset by conflicts that flared up during the 1990s, calm has now been restored to most of the parts of the region. However, conflicts still need to be resolved officially, and a lack of cooperation still persists, especially between Azerbaijan and Armenia.


During 2002 the EU organized two major regional eCaucasus conferences and several consultative meetings. These meetings provided an invaluable forum for public servants, people from the world of business, civil activists, and representatives of international donor agencies from the EU, South Caucasus, and its neighbours to come together to discuss the prospects for establishing an information society in the region.


The ground was also prepared for strengthening and intensifying cooperation between the South Caucasus and the EU, as well as supporting the integration of the region into the global information community. The governments of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have shown their commitment to the project by setting up National Research and Education Networks (NREN) to serve as partners in each of their respective countries.


The Development of eSocieties in South Caucasus project is primarily aimed at designing and implementing eLearning infrastructures and business processes in cooperation with the NRENs, thus providing an added value to their mission. The project will promote the expansion and use of eLearning at universities and education and training centres throughout the region.


IMC and the project consortium will use new digital online eLearning Management Systems (e-LMS) and new educational courseware (e-Content) to enhance mainstream education curricula. Skilled teams in each beneficiary country will be established that are able to design, develop, and deliver new e-content for ICT subjects whose focus will be on telecoms, broadband access platforms, and mobile communication applications.


Dr. Frank Habermann, International Business Director, outlines IMC's strategy within the project: "To ensure our success both technically and interculturally we have engaged consultants who know the region and who are aware of the specific challenges and difficulties likely to be met with during the project. Having taken some first successful steps in Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East, we are especially glad to be able to extend our activities in this region."


Dr. Wolfgang Kraemer, spokesperson for the board at IMC, explains: "As part of the global development plan for an entire region, the design of this project is perhaps the most challenging, most complex, and certainly the most political IMC has ever had to achieve. We are therefore very gratified that the European Commission has placed its trust in our expertise in managing eLearning projects in business, higher education, and research."