Dr Sarah Skerratt is Senior Research Fellow in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University. In 2005, she was invited to manage a research project entitled: " Widening Access in Smart Communities. Supporting rural and urban regeneration using current and emerging broadband ICT: a realistic evaluation study ( European EQUAL project "Worklife Adaptability Partnership")". She is responsible for building an evaluation framework which investigates and defines best practice relating to meaningful use of broadband applications within the SME and community sectors. She focuses on web portals, online strategies of communities and SMEs, mobility and dispersed work, and the generation of community buy-in and engagement in ICT in the community initiatives. The dual focus is on business competitiveness and social inclusion within deprived areas. This appointment at Glasgow Caledonian builds on years of experience evaluating ICT and broadband-enabling initiatives in rural communities in Scotland, England, Ireland, Finland and Norway. Her areas of expertise in rural ICT include the following: Rural information and communication networks (online and offline), and the roles that ICT may play within such networks and networking. The 'digital capacity' required by rural individuals and communities in order to engage in the Information Society. It also includes studies of how broadband I CT is appropriated at the local levels, and how important is 'local' in making the technology and its content 'meaningful,' definitions of 'digital divide', and exploring ways to achieving digital and social inclusion and engagement within the Information Society.

Additional recent projects include: (i) an evaluation of Scotland's Rural Community Gateway ( www.ruralgateway.org.uk ); (ii) an analysis of rural village websites in the UK, and their potential for social inclusion in the Information Society; (iii) an evaluation of the state of broadband provision in the UK and Ireland, and its implications for rural regeneration; (iv) an evaluation of the phenomenon of "rural cyberpubs" as a means for engagement of rural populations. She is also involved in other regional and national Rural Futures think-tanks as a recognised expert in the socio-cultural aspects of rural ICTs. She is on the Board of Directors for Euracademy ( www.euracademy.org ) where she also speaks on Information Society issues; is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki (Swedish School of Social Sciences); and is a Consultant to the Carnegie UK Trust in "Community-led rural service provision" ( http://rural.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/ ). She is currently co-editing a research monograph with Grete Rusten (with contributions from international authors), entitled "Being rural in a digital age". Sarah is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and workshops on rural digital themes.