Description: This proposal is based on my own personal research conducted into the problems and tasks relating to the topics of "Transforming Knowledge", "Knowledge Centres" and "Access to Learning". My recent work constitutes a continuation of research I carried out last year focusing on studying the opportunities for building a knowledge society in the declining regions of Hungary. I started this new research project at the National Institute for Adult Education at the end of 2005 and am planning to finish it by the end of August 2006. My proposal is based on the preliminary report of the work, namely, the preliminary findings of my research into the lessons so far learned from a review of the available literature. The purpose of the research project is to discover: 1. The level of realisation and perception of the importance of knowledge building and knowledge application in preventing further decline in the less developed regions of the country by specifying a number of encouraging experiences 2. The primary factors obstructing the understanding and acceptance of the importance and significance of "knowledge" within this process 3. The connection and harmony between the related and cited theoretical and policy guidelines found in the main documents. In order to be able to fulfil the targets my research is aiming to answer the following questions: 1. How developmental works and official plans prepared for the future regard and explore the importance of the development of "knowledge", both at governmental and regional level, in order to arrest the process of decline within the less developed regions of the country 2. How the local, sub-regional level is able to discover the significance of knowledge building and access to knowledge at their level 3. What similarities and differences of opinion exist among key stakeholders relating to the research issue The following represent the problems discovered: - Regional differences exist regarding access to knowledge both in VET and in continuing education, or formal and informal learning - Historical and cultural reasons have been evidenced behind the regional differences concerning knowledge - How the periphery may be considered as a potential source of value - How the citizens of the periphery may be considered as a source of unexploited knowledge and as potential receivers of transferred knowledge - How the unutilised, latent, tacit knowledge of those living in the declining regions may be exploited - The type of knowledge itself and how it should be transformed for them - How citizens within the declining regions may be enabled to utilise knowledge - How local people may be incorporated into the development work to ensure the continuity of the development process - How local people may be helped and taught to co-operate with knowledge centres in order to be able to share knowledge - Which circumstances would make a positive contribution to this development process - Which circumstances would exert a negative effect on this development process - The need to study any existing relevant experiences communities have had of practices in the declining regions in creating knowledge, transforming knowledge and sharing knowledge. Methodology: My research is based on the analysis of documents at governmental and regional level and other relevant research papers, interviews with policymakers and key players in governmental, sector, regional and sub-regional level, and a review of available literature. I am aiming to further study the experimental basis of my previous research, which provides me with a great opportunity to achieve a deeper understanding of the researched topics. Conclusions: Some key preliminary findings derived from the research: - A lot of time and complex harmonised efforts from different parts of the society are required to tackle the existing problem relating to access to knowledge in the declining regions - A lot of effort is required in order to increase the interest of local citizens in learning - A lot of time and effort is required to build and develop local human resources to be able to function as "innovators" who are interested in knowledge production - The very few good experiences evidenced require much stronger support in the future