Funding to strengthen services of general interest in rural areas through improved interoperability of digital systems.

The challenges facing rural regions in Germany are diverse, ranging from declining population density to deteriorating infrastructure. Digitalization plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges: it can help improve efficiency, optimize planning processes, and strengthen essential services in rural areas. One example is the development of digital platforms that offer administrations data-driven insights into the health of their municipalities. Through these platforms, data can be automatically retrieved, evaluated, and shared from specialized systems such as R23. Enhanced interoperability provides administrations with a data-based foundation for decision-making, ultimately enabling improved healthcare services for their communities. Another example is the integration of mobility services, where various transportation providers exchange their data in real-time. This allows rural residents to seamlessly switch between different modes of transportation, making it faster and easier to reach their destinations.

These examples illustrate that seamless collaboration between digital applications is essential for the digitalization of rural areas. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is currently supporting innovative projects that promote the automated exchange of data between digital systems.

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Digitalization funding: An overview

Funding is available for model projects in rural districts and municipalities with up to 35,000 residents and neighboring municipalities. These projects can receive up to €300,000 in funding to connect at least two data systems.

Examples of such connections include:

- Digital Planning and Allocation of Daycare Spaces and Efficient School Data Management: Digital platforms connect daycare centers, schools, and authorities to improve information flow. Specialized applications such as "Little Bird," "Kita-Planer 2," "SchILD," and "EduBase" enable centralized management of registration data and students, facilitating school transitions. These data can be linked with other sources, such as demographic data, population forecasts, and traffic data, to create well-founded decision-making bases. This allows municipalities to ensure adequate daycare and school spaces, accurately forecast future demand, provide real-time school bus information, and respond flexibly to changes.
- Proactive Demographic Planning: Data-supported systems like "DemisPro" link population forecasts with municipal planning data to proactively manage the expansion of public facilities and care services. Integrating resident registration data from systems such as "VOIS|MESO" enables the consideration of current population figures and movements. These applications help identify needs early and plan resources efficiently.

Funding supports projects focused on developing interfaces that enable the connection of data systems and the implementation of data management systems. These systems must allow for the integration of data from different sources and the analysis of this data.

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Polyteia as a partner in digital transformation

Polyteia offers a platform specifically developed for the public sector. Integrating different data sources and analyzing the data is a core function of the platform. Through connectors to specialized systems (such as VOIS Meso, OCTOWARE, PRIMUS, and many others), databases, and other applications, Polyteia ensures seamless data processing from various public sector sources. The integrated data can be analyzed, visualized, and published on the platform without coding.

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Use Case: Health monitoring in public health services (ÖGD)

A flagship project showcasing Polyteia’s potential within BMEL funding is digital health monitoring in public health services (ÖGD). Users automatically retrieve health data from specialized systems (OCTOWARE, SORMAS, DEMIS, ISGA, etc.) and combine it with data from other sources without relying on manual processes. Data is visualized on the Polyteia platform, and reports are generated on vaccination rates, infection hotspots, or vision and hearing impairments among school beginners, which are then submitted to management for review. This automation significantly reduces effort and enables well-informed decisions based on up-to-date data—a major advantage in modern healthcare.

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Steps for successful funding

With BMEL funding, public administrations can further advance digitalization. The steps for funding are clearly structured: after drafting a project outline, submission to the Competence Center for Rural Development (BLE) is required by November 30, 2024. Selected projects will then be invited to submit formal applications, allowing them to begin in mid-2025 if approved. You can find all information and important links in our brochure.

Do you have questions or would like to discuss BMEL funding with Polyteia directly? We are happy to support you through the funding process. Schedule a meeting with us here.