The Northern eDimension Action Plan (NeDAP) developed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the European Commission was adopted at the CBSS Ministerial Meeting on Information Society in Riga on 28 September 2001. The NeDAP is a tool to facilitate the Baltic Sea region’s transformation into an Information Society. The Baltic region is already a very dynamic growth center consisting of countries different in terms of their economic development, business climate, social and cultural life. The NeDAP promotes coordinated initiatives from national governments and other key actors, as well as enhances co-operation and transfer of knowledge in the region.

In the Baltic Sea region, there are several countries, which are advanced in R&D production and the use of information and telecommunication technology. Russia and the Baltic countries seem to have a high level of education and competence in the ICT field. Because of significant differences in development between the Nordic and Baltic regions, the Baltic Sea region as a whole has a huge potential for cooperation in the field of education, research and implementation of technological innovations in business if all parties in the region coordinate their initiatives. As a result, the whole area will benefit from intensified co-operation.

High-speed infrastructure and research networks can strongly improve research co-operation in the Northern region. Action Line 1 of NeDAP aims to encourage the participation of countries in the region in Northern European research collaboration.

Adapting the education and labour market systems to the requirements of the knowledge-based economy is a major challenge at the national, regional and European levels. Action Line 3 of NeDAP: E-SKILLS aims to facilitate the use of qualified ICT professionals in the Northern region for industry and business start-ups using virtual means.