Høykom - A support initiative for broadband based, information intensive eGovernment services
The Norwegian Government has expressed a clear intention to promote the development of a coordinated and user-adapted public sector. The Government has two overall goals in its modernisation process: Making the general public's interaction with the authorities easier and freeing resources which may strengthen the welfare state. In the Government's efforts to reach these goals the Høykom programme plays an important role by supporting public sector organisations that wishes to utilize broadband intensive eGovernment services within the scope of a time limited project.

Project period extended three times
The Norwegian Høykom programme is at present in its third period of operation. The programme was initiated in 1999, initially for a period of three years (1999 - 2001). Its third and current period of operation runs from 2005 to 2007.

Høykom will be continued on its current level in 2006, and measures will be taken to transfer best practice experience established in Høykom projects into public e-services and governmental practice on a broader level. Measures will also be taken to disseminate the large quantity of knowledge and insight developed in Høykom's projects into eGovernment related issues that has been built up in the programme during its time of operation.

The Høykom programme is explicitly mentioned in the newly released "eNorway 2009 - the Digital Leap". The programme has an important place in the action plan, both as a provider of examples of successful eGovernment implementations and projects that are candidates for extensive roll out, and by being an important instrument in financing and coordinating central and regional eGovernment initiatives.

More than 400 projects
Høykom has over the years provided financial support for more than 400 projects on a shared financing basis. Høykom sustains projects with up to 50 percent of total project costs. During the life span of the Høykom programme this support amounts to more than 45 mill Euro and has lead to a total project volume of more than 130 mill Euro.

The 2005 budget of Høykom is approximately 10 mill Euro. The budget is expected to be on current level also the next two next years. This means that in the period of 2005 to 2007 the programmes total budget is expected to be close to 30 mill Euro. With Høykom financing 50 percent of the total project costs this implies that the total project volume will be close to 60 mill Euro and probably more.

Main emphasis on applications and e-services
The purpose of the programme is to stimulate the development and dissemination of innovative broadband based eGovernment applications. With a few exceptions Høykom does not found infrastructure directly. One such exception might be remote district areas where the market is less likely to supply broadband infrastructure and applications.

The Norwegian broadband policy is based on the idea that broadband roll-out primarily should be market driven, and that successful eGovernment applications will help creating a demand that makes it economically viable for private suppliers to provide broadband access throughout the country. This policy has so far resulted in an expected broadband uptake of 45 percent of private users by the end of 2005 and close to 95 percent of the population will have the opportunity to enjoy a broadband connection (based on autumn 2005 figures).

Previously Høykom has focused solely on dissemination and development on a national scale, but new signals from the Ministry of Modernisation implies an extension also to disseminate programme experience internationally and to incorporate international experiences. The programme is in close dialogue with eGovernment initiatives both on national and supranational level in Europe.

Being the main source of free funding for public eGov-ernment and a reference point for Norwegian eGovern-ment implementation, Høykom's project application guidelines have a major impact not only on projects financed by the programme but also on the way gov-ernment institutions generally think and implement eGovernment in Norway.

The accumulated experience in the programme and the extensive knowledge diffusion that has come out of Høykom makes the programme an important actor in the network of public institutions and private companies working together to create an innovative public sector in Norway.

The programs position as a reference point and a knowl-edge hub puts the program in a central position of the Norwegian public sector innovation system. It's close cooperation with the Ministry of Modernisation ensures that the programs initiatives are in line with the Ministry's general IT strategy and that projects financed by Høykom have a high political backing.

Organisation
HØYKOM is financed by he Ministry of Modernisation, and the Ministry of Education and Research.

The programme is administered by the Research Council of Norway.

Evaluation of the programme
The programme was evaluated in the autumn of 2003 by STEP - Centre for Innovation Research - now part of NIFU STEP Studies in Innovation, Research and Education.
The report contains an English summary, available for downloading.

Download an english summary of the evaluation: Click here=> Evaluation _e.pdf