The LINKED project (February 2010 to April 2011) is described as ‘a brokerage initiative, aimed at bridging the knowledge and communication gap between researchers, policy-makers and practitioners working in the area of ICT in education'. The main objective of the project is to make research results on the topics of digital competence and digital games available to policy-makers and practitioners in understandable, user-friendly formats.

Further information can also be found in:

a LINKED promotional leaflet	LINKED postcard

The aim of this project was to develop a network in which both knowledge and experience related to evidence-based policy could be exchanged, in order to realise a more funded local education and training policy and to improve the exchange of data between researchers, policymakers and practitioners. Local education policymakers played a brokerage role to facilitate knowledge sharing.

The project ran from January 2010 to March 2011. Six medium-sized cities (Antwerp, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Munich, Rotterdam and Stockholm), all members of the Eurocities Working Group for Education and Social Inclusion, and five research institutions (University of Antwerp, Masaryk University (Brno), Sola za ravnatalje (Kranj), Risbo (Rotterdam) and Uppsala University) formed an active investigation and development network to accomplish the project goals. The city of Antwerp took the lead.

A project report is available, containing:

• Findings regarding networking and networking assessment (chapter 1)
• Findings regarding data brokerage at a local policy and school level, including good practices and key factors for success (chapter 2)
• Findings regarding peer reviewing by cities visiting each other with the aim of mutual learning, including a practical toolkit (chapter 3

Each of the chapters can be read and used independently.