The overarching aim of the project is to provide sustainable development impetus for digital services of general interest in selected rural regions in order to contribute to the creation and maintenance of equal living conditions. The project sees itself as a social science transfer project. In other words, in addition to the scientific analysis of the status quo and the prospects for digital services of general interest in rural areas, it is also about bringing together stakeholders from different areas and organizing practical dialogues.

The focus of the accompanying scientific research is particularly on the economic, political-administrative, social and cultural prerequisites for successful cooperation between innovation actors for digitization and local government/municipal economy. The questions asked include,

• what contribution start-ups, social entrepreneurs and universities make as regional location factors, public companies and institutions for the development of digital innovations,
• how cooperation between local government and the municipal economy on the one hand and start-ups, social entrepreneurs and universities on the other can give rise to digital innovation hubs dedicated to the development of digital innovations for the common good,
• how welfare state norms and values such as equal treatment, equal access and privacy protection can be applied in the development and implementation of digital innovations
• how associations, advocacy organizations and individual users can be involved in the development of digital innovations and their implementation in the sense of co-creation
• how forms of work, working hours, qualification requirements and participation structures in start-ups, local government and the local economy are changing in the context of digitalization.

Project phase I: "Social & Digital" sub-project

In three districts (Hesse: Main-Kinzig-Kreis & Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis; Thuringia: Kyffhäuserkreis) in project phase I, digitalization makers in the administration were to promote the implementation of the OZG and contribute to social welfare. We provided scientific support for the "Social & Digital" sub-project, which was carried out together with Lokalprojekte. Links to reports from the three participating districts:

Main-Kinzig district: https://www.lokalprojekte.de/projekt/mkk-digitalisierung-weiter-denken

Rheingau-Taunus district: https://www.lokalprojekte.de/projekt/rtk-digital-aber-richtig

Kyffhäuserkreis: https://www.lokalprojekte.de/projekt/kyf-papierlose-sozialverwaltung

Project phase II: Sub-project "interkommunal.digital.wirken - Rethinking cooperation, making administration fit for the future"

Digitalization is already having an impact within individual administrations and offers great potential. Digital solutions and AI can be used even more effectively and scaled across municipal boundaries through inter-municipal cooperation - a topic that is also gaining importance in the political debate. interkommunal.digital.wirken addresses this issue:

Inter-municipal cooperation is to be used to make the digital transformation of local government more effective across borders.

The program combines two dimensions:

• Organizational: shaping cooperation between municipalities in such a way that interfaces can be coordinated and digital solutions can be implemented with greater reach.
• Technological: Using digital solutions and AI in such a way that they facilitate the work of the administration and enable better services for citizens.

The aim is to create new joint levels of action. Larger alliances should effectively drive forward the digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence - with the aim of making solutions scalable and ensuring their sustainable use.