The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs has sent to all private media in the Azores a document disseminating the State Incentives for Private Media, whose application period begins today and runs until March 22.
 
The document sent by Berto Messias contains the various support measures included in this scheme.
 
The Incentive for Employment and Vocational Training aims to promote employability, training and development of media skills, comprising the business and commercial management components within the media sector. In turn, the System for Technological Modernisation aims to support projects aimed at the redevelopment and conversion of equipment and infrastructures of local broadcast media.
 
For its part, the Incentive for Digital Development is intended to support projects oriented towards the use of multimedia platforms and the sustainable conversion of media in order to promote convergence and stimulate the production of new formats through a better use of existing resources.
 
Regarding the Incentive for Media Access, the main purpose is to develop projects and programmes of regional and local scope that ensure or promote the accessibility of people with disabilities to media contents as well as to information and communication technologies.
 
The Incentive for the Development of Strategic Partnerships aims to support regional or local media in establishing partnerships, agreements and other forms of association or collaboration with other media based in Portugal or abroad. This measure contributes to a better use of available resources, improve commercial and publishing relations, promote Portuguese-language media, reinforce regional development strategies and stimulate the exchange with Portuguese-language media based abroad or in Portuguese-speaking countries.
 
In turn, the Incentive for Media Literacy and Education is directed to the development of projects and programmes at local and regional level that stimulate literacy and inclusion for media. It also intends to promote the knowledge on local and regional matters of interest and attract new readers from regional communities, especially in terms of new media formats and means of access.
 
The application forms and all legislative and administrative information have been sent to the media and are available on the Regional Government Portal at www.azores.gov.pt on the Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs page.
 
In the letter sent to the regional private media, Berto Messias also provides all the necessary administrative support for the preparation of applications.