Objective SABRE aims to identify telematics based solutions which help SMEs to respond to, for example, marketing opportunities, problems of economies of scale, and to minimise distribution costs, etc. SMEs tend to suffer from disadvantages such as; remoteness from end markets, marketing weaknesses, small scale of production, communication weaknesses, small scale of production, communication weaknesses with customers, suppliers etc. Diversity of SME business types and sectors of activity, accentuates the problems. Provision of regional telematics service centres may offer a solution. SABRE will initiate research into rural SMEs needs through working with small focus-groups of representative potential users in five EC Member States. This work is closely linked to and will be augmented with the research findings of the SARBA project. The SABRE approach envisages that services to support the applications required by SMEs can be provided regionally by a "Rural Telematics Service Centre" (RTSC). The RTSC would provide servers (hosts) for local rural based business applications. Ultimately, RTSC's would be interconnected with services and consumers in the core regions of the Community. Servers in the RTSC would operate under an "Integrated Rural Telematics Architecture" (IRTA). IRTA is conceived as a unified architecture by which rural SMEs can access a wide range of telematic services, both generic and specific, utilising a range of media including small computers, fax machines, PCN networks and eventually integrated broadband communications. Programme(s) FP3-ORA - Specific programme of research and technological development (EEC) in the field of telematic systems in areas of general interest - Telematics systems for rural areas -, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Wierda Overmars & Partners Address Netherlands See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Computer Technology Institute - Patras Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address See on map INMARK Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address See on map Institut de l'Audiovisuel et des Télécommunications en Europe France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 34092 Montpellier See on map Protocol Communications Ltd United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address 12 castle street TQ9 5NU Totnes See on map Systems Synthesis Ltd United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Waterloo house waterloo street BS8 4BT Bristol See on map UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address University hill, administration bldg. See on map