The Community Application of Information Technology – CAIT – Initiative seeks to fund demonstration projects, which encourage and assist those in our society who are unfamiliar with, and who do not use, the new information and communications technologies in their everyday lives. It is intended that the community and voluntary sector would undertake these projects. Over £2.5 million has been provided for this purpose from the information society fund over the period July 2001 to December 2002.
In excess of 450 proposals were received by the deadline, which expired on 15 February last. These proposals have been reviewed and 112 have been shortlisted for further evaluation. The results of this shortlisting process were posted to project proposers on 10 April 2001.
The proposals received from Borris, ie, County Carlow and Clogh Family Resource Centre, County Kilkenny have been shortlisted for further evaluation.
An independent steering group containing representatives of a number of Government Departments and the private sector are currently considering the shortlisted proposals and will shortly make recommendations for funding. It is anticipated that a formal announcement of the successful applicants under the CAIT initiative will issue before the end of June 2001.
The CAIT initiative is just one of many initiatives being undertaken as part of wider Government programme to ensure a fully inclusive information society in Ireland.