The main goal of the project TELESOL is to promote telework in business and research between EU and Central Asian, Caucasian and Slavic countries of CIS. The project will create pilot fully operational online EU-CIS telework systems.
The project TELESOL, with an active participation of EU and CIS business communities, will develop the Telework Competence Centers (TCCs) in the participating Central Asian and European CIS countries. TCCs will be the focal points for collecting relevant telework information, training, exchange of experience and establishing contacts with interested parties in EU and CIS.
TELESOL will provide technology studies in the CIS countries, organize kick-off meeting, Central Asian regional conference, and local workshops; it will develop curriculum on the new methods of work. The project will result in concrete projects with participation of EU and CIS companies and research institutions.
The main objectives of TELESOL project are:

1. Promote IST Programme Key Action II (New Methods of Work) to business communities of participating Central Asian, Caucasian and Slavic CIS countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) by awareness actions, training and dissemination of information.
   
   
2. Set up a few (2-3) fully operational pilot online telework systems in business and research areas between EU and CIS commercial companies and research institutions. Pilot systems will demonstrate a model of EU-CIS team work in business and research, and the levels of development of general telematics infrastructure across different locations and time zones. It will ensure self-funding operations of the launched business teleworking EU-CIS projects beyond the time limits of the project.
   
   
3. Carry out technology and business studies of the present situation in telework technologies in European and Central Asian CIS countries which participate in TELESOL. In countries, participating in TELESOL, identify local advantages, problems and roadblocks. Based on results of these studies, formulate appropriate recommendations to EU research and business communities with a view to take into account in the EU research activities socio-economic and scientific/technological trends of the potential CIS market.
   
   
4. In the countries participating in TELESOL, to develop a system of Telework Competence Centers (TCCs). TCCs will use as a base those of the Information Demonstration Centers (IDCs) deployed by the TAP STACCIS project in 1996-1999 in European CIS countries, which are active towards business communities in their countries. Extension of this system to active and interested participants from business and research communities in Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) will significally reinforce the system of TCCs.
   
   
5. Basing on the system of TCCs, to organize kick-off TELESOL meeting on new methods of work in business and research, Central Asian regional conference, and local workshops. The gatherings will be devoted to telework advantages, objectives, opportunities and problems for the CIS countries and provide demonstrations of experience of pilot telework projects, as well as demonstration of relevant EU experience and products. The purpose of the conference and local workshops will be, among other, to demonstrate potential capacity of IST Program to the CIS telematics community.
   
   
6. Through continuous operations of TCCs, kick-off meeting conference, Central Asian conference, local workshops, training course, specific studies, publications and other project activities - to assess and evaluate the existing level of the Information Society development and readiness to telework in business and research in the participating European and Central Asian CIS countries. Based on this assessment, to formulate a specific plan of basic telework actions that will make the corresponding TELESOL focal point (TCCs) capable to work efficiently with their EU partners.
   
   
7. Develop training curriculum and to provide training measures (through TELESOL Web-site, and through traditional face-to-face training course), to disseminate the relevant telework information and to promote the EU experience to the interested business and research communities in participating European and Central Asian CIS countries.
   
   
8. Disseminate the information about IST Program to business and research community in these countries. Such information will include new intellectual, technical and economical opportunities, which telework aspects of IST Program opens for its participants; it will increase knowledge in the CIS community about the European Commission and Sixth Framework Program. To present the results of IST Program to the CIS telework community indicating the tendencies of the European telework development.

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