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European Union: Progress Report on Seventh Framework Programme very positive

Source: IPR helpdesk
6 May 2009

The European Commission recently published a Progress Report on the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). This document states that the programme is on the right course and has brought very positive results. The report reveals that, in its first 2 years, FP7 is responding to the socioeconomic needs of the European Union and is particularly relevant to tackle the challenges of the current financial crises.
During the first two years, almost 36,000 research and development proposals were received and 5,500 selected for funding, reaching some 10 billion Euros. The report also stresses that new instruments, such as the new Guarantee Fund and the Unique Registration Facility, are reducing red tape and improving participation in FP7.
According to the EU Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik, FP7 injects fresh money to support research and acts as an incentive for Member States, thus helping to overcome the economic crisis.
The progress report is an initial assessment of the effectiveness of FP7. A detailed evaluation will be carried out by an independent expert group in 2010

Related Links:
1 -The Progress Report for download at the EC Web site
2 -
Related News Item in CORDIS Web site

Related news items in IPR-Helpdesk:
02/05/2007. European Union. The Commission recently published the draft version of the Guide to IP rules for FP7 projects

 

Reminder: ICT Call 4 (Deadline - 1st of April 2009)

By 19/11/2008, the ICT theme was launched focusing on seven strategic Challenges for the seven years of this Framework Programme.
This Fourth Call seeks proposals in nineteen areas.
These 19 areas are part of the following challenges :

  • Challenge 1 : Pervasive and trustworthy network and service infrastructures
  • Challenge 2 : Cognitive systems, interaction, robotics
  • Challenge 3 : Components, systems, engineering
  • Challenge 5 : Towards sustainable and personalised healthcare
  • Challenge 6 : ICT for mobility, environmental stability and energy efficiency
  • Challenge 7 : ICT for independent living , inclusion and governance

The call also promotes research in three new areas of “FET - Future and Emerging Technologies”:

  • Concurrent tera-device computing
  • Quantum information foundations and technologies
  • Biochemistry-based information technology

Finally the call also includes a number of Coordination and Support actions, with particular emphasis on international cooperation in ICT with partner countries overseas.  The ICT theme has committed a budget of €801m for this call.

The closing date for proposals is 17h00 on 1st April 2009; and it is expected that the first projects funded from this action will be launched in the late autumn of 2009.
The ICT theme has also on 19th November 2008 launched another call jointly with the ENERGY theme, covering Novel ICT solutions for smart electricity distribution networks.  This call, budgeted with €10m from ICT and €10m from ENERGY, will close on the 1st April 2009 with project launches also in the late autumn of 2009. 

See also: Full call details on CORDIS

 

Opening of the third Call for Proposals for the ICT PSP

Deadline: 2 June 2009
(29/01/2009) This call for proposals is based on the 2009 ICT PSP work programme.
99.5 million Euro of EU funding is available under this third call for proposals.
It covers 8 themes :

  • ICT for health, ageing and inclusion
  • Digital Libraries
  • ICT for government and governance
  • ICT for energy efficiency and environment
  • Multilingual Web
  • Public Sector information
  • Internet evolution and security (including RFID)
  • Open innovation, user experience and living labs

For each theme a limited set of pilot actions will be supported and can be complemented by networking actions. From 2009 on, the ICT PSP covers actions for developing and (re)using digital content previously addressed through the eContentplus programme until the end of 2008.
More information on ICT PSP and on this call for proposals

Additional Information

See also: More information on the Objectives of the 2009 Work Programme

Contact: infso-ict-psp@ec.europa.eu

EC Work Programme for FP7 ICT Research 2009-10

21 Nov 2008

This work programme (WP) defines the priorities for the calls for proposals to be launched in the period 2008-09 . Projects resulting from these calls will start having an impact on markets in the 2015-20 timeframe . By then, the global ICT/knowledge infrastructure - networks, devices, services - as well as the market structures, value chains and business models are likely to have changed considerably from today's situation. The research challenges in this WP are expressed with this in mind. New breakthroughs in ICT will continue over the next decades to bring ever-more wide ranging applications that will continue to drive growth and innovation and ensure sustainability in our economies and societies. In the context of defining priorities for this WP, three future technology and socio- economic transformations stand out: the 'Future Internet', the 'alternative paths to ICT components and systems' and 'ICT for sustainable development' :

* New network and service infrastructures will emerge replacing the current Internet and Web. The research effort in this field has to be refocused to ensure European leadership in developing the 'Future Internet'.

* ICT based on nano-scale integration, new materials, photonics and organic electronics will provide new types of devices and intelligent systems. Research has to take into account also the various new paths towards the next generation components and systems, notably in the 'beyond CMOS', photonics, micro-systems, embedded systems, organic and large-area electronics domains.

* The future developments of ICT will be driven to a large extent by emerging societal challenges. In particular, the next generations of ICT will have to support the targets for lower carbon emissions not only with ultra low power consumption ICT devices and equipment but also through ICT solutions for better energy efficiency, lighting, virtual mobility and more efficient environmental simulation and monitoring. Support to this area is strengthened substantially and will address the various dimensions of ICT's contribution to sustainability.

In addition to the above transformations, the main mid-to-long term drivers for ICT research priorities identified for the first phase of FP7 remain valid today. These drivers include the high expectations of 'more for less' , i.e. more functionality and performance at lower cost as well as the need for better scalability, adaptability and learning capabilities of ICT systems. They also include stronger requirements for reliability and security of ICTs and the need to handle higher volumes and more complex digital content and services and to facilitate user control . More innovation is also emerging from the use of ICT in ever more challenging applications in particular for health and social care, for transport, for lifestyle, culture and learning, energy and the environment.

Download:   Work Programme for FP7 ICT Research 2009-10 (.pdf, 604 KB).

Related Publication: The final Work Programme for ICT research in FP7 in 2007 and 2008

EC - New Call on ICT Challenge 5 : Sustainable and Personalised Healthcare

Dead-line: 1st of April, 2009 – 17h00 ( Brussels time)  

To see full details of the Challenge 5 calls, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/programme/challenge5_en.htm

EC: EIT Governing Board appointed 

05 Aug 2008

The European Commission has officially appointed the Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), paving the way for the launch of the first Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) under the new initiative. The board will hold its first meeting on 15 September in Budapest, Hungary, the new home of the EIT. The 18 members of the new board are professionals from various fields in research, academia and industry. More members will join the Board once the initial KICs are up and running, including doctoral candidates and administrative staff of the EIT and KICs.

An ad-hoc independent Identification Committee [1]   nominated the members of the Board.  Both the European Parliament and Council were aware of the final result of the selection process, the Commission said in a statement.
At next month's meeting, the Board will set in motion the process that will lead to the establishment of the first two to three partnerships known as " 'Knowledge and Innovation Communities" (KICs), which should be launched by December 2009. The KICs are the operational centres of the EIT.

More explicitly, the Board will select, coordinate and assess the KICs. As integrated public-private networks, these centres will prove beneficial for key players, in particular by providing strategic European resources for industry, research and academia stakeholders. The KICs will work at fuelling innovation for both the economic and social sectors. Important KICs activities include the generation, dissemination and exploitation of new knowledge products and best practices in the innovation sector.   (read more...)

Final Evaluation of the eTEN Programme

4 Jul 2008
Author: RAND Europe for the Directorate-General Information Society and Media of the European Commission

Description (short summary):
The final evaluation of the eTEN Programme covers the period starting from 2002 until the end of the programme in December 2006. This document assesses the programme with regard to its relevance, priorities and means of implementation, effectiveness and impact, efficiency and cost effectiveness, utility and sustainability, as well as causal links from resources used through its implementation to activities and presumed impacts.

All Documents at the Original URL:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/eten/library/index_en.htm#news_programme0

EURAXESS-Links, a network of European Researchers in Japan, has been launched

19 Jun 2008

The European Commission recently launched EURAXESS, a network of European researchers in Japan. This was done based on the results of an online survey of these researchers last year.  The network will provide several services for European research entities searching for Japanese partners and for European research in that country. In particular, the services provided by the network include a Web site with information on research funding, as well as interactive tools for information exchange; e-mail alerts to make users aware of new opportunities; an e-mail newsletter; and information on meetings and events.

It is worth mentioning that several thousand European researchers work in Japan, making it an important target for the EU to increase collaboration.

Related Links: Related news item in CORDIS   ;   Survey for researchers in Japan

Related news item in IPR-Helpdesk:

2007/06/08. European Union. RTD and IPR issues were discussed in a summit between the European Union (EU) and Japan held in Berlin on 5th June 2007

Call for Tender (2008) - Study "Trends and Evolution of the EU ICT Research and Deployment Landscape"

Objective:

The main objective of the study is to assess the Trends and Evolution of the EU ICT research and deployment landscape and how EU ICT RTD and Deployment activities are contributing to the broader EU 'Eco-system' of Research and Innovation. It will assess whether and the extent to which ICT RTD in the EU 6th and 7th Framework Programmes and ICT PSP activities are contributing to 'eco-systems' of innovation and the deployment of Information Society initiatives at regional level.

Deadline for submission of tenders: Friday, 5 September 2008

For more detailed information, please visit the: Europe Infso Web Site

Commission promotes delivery of long-term care at home

29 Apr 2008

Member states will need to adapt their national health systems to prepare for the expected increase in long-term health services due to the EU's ageing demographics, according to a new study published by the Commission.

The report, presented on 28 April, highlights the need to consider new ways of delivering long-term care at home and in residential settings "as the preferred alternative to institutional care". This follows a  Eurobarometer Survey published in 2007 which confirms that a majority (ca. 80%) of Europeans prefer long-term care to be supplied at home. There is also a "widespread consensus" on the need to devise "new ways of support towards family or informal carers" to enable dependent people to stay in their houses for longer, adds the report, entitled  Long-term Care in the European Union .  Guaranteeing near-universal access to long-term healthcare in the EU will be one of the main challenges to address as it will entail significant costs, the report says, adding that a combination of public and private financing will thus be needed. Furthermore, improved coordination between social and medical services will also be needed to make the system more effective.
An international conference held under the Luxembourg Presidency in May 2005 confirmed that long-term healthcare is a public responsibility and should therefore rest with public authorities in member states. This premise was backed by the Eurobarometer Survey (as in above) , which showed that 93% of EU citizens believe public authorities should provide home or institutional care.
However, current trends in several EU countries show that demand is outstripping supply , highlighting the fact that there is no wide-ranging system for long-term care services and that there is still room for the private sector. On the supply side, there is still a major shortage of professional staff dedicated to long-term healthcare. There are a number of approaches being instigated to plug the gap, including higher wages, improved working conditions and bringing informal carers into social security schemes. A conference on 'Intergenerational Solidarity for Cohesive and Sustainable Societies' hosted by the Slovenian EU Presidency will be held today, concentrating on the need to develop long-term care systems. 

More on this topic:

LinksDossier:   Healthy ageing

Other related news: EU's new health chief promises cross-border care proposal

Links to recent  EC official documents  (28 April 2008) :

European Commission nominates high-level advisory group on research and science (ERAB)

11 Apr 2008

The European Commission announced today the names of 22 personalities who will make up the European Research Area Board (ERAB). These persons come from the fields of science, academia and business and will provide independent and authoritative advice to the European Commission on European research and science policy, whose objective is to realise a European Research Area.

Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Science and Research said: "The debate on the Green Paper on the future of science in Europe has shown that there is strong need and support for making research in Europe more European. This can only be done in partnership with Member States, the research community, business and many other stakeholders. I count on the new ERAB to advise me and the Commission services on how we can facilitate the development of a true European Research Area."

ERAB is expected to play a key role in helping to develop, promote and evaluate policy initiatives and actions to meet the goals of the European Research Area. It underlines the importance the Commission attaches to drawing on independent expertise and advice in a policy area that is set to further climb on the EU's political agenda. One of ERAB's key tasks will be to provide the Commission with an annual report on "the state of the European Research Area". (read more...)

EU's new health chief promises cross-border care proposal

02 Apr 2008

During her grilling by the European Parliament, Androula Vassiliou, the Cypriot woman selected to replace outgoing Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, promised that a controversial proposal on cross-border health care would be put on the table in June.

Addressing patients' rights in cross-border health care, Vassiliou told a Parliament hearing yesterday (1 April) that she was "convinced that no one is against improving legal clarity and transparency under the existing rights provided by the Treaty, or against improving access to health care".  The purpose of the hearing was to give the parliamentary committees an insight into the views of the future commissioner on the issues in her portfolio - namely public health and food safety.

While answering MEPs' questions, she expressed her determination to submit the proposal on access to cross-border health care for adoption by the Commission in June 2008 . She revealed that the proposal would focus on patients' rights and increased access to health care. It will be part of a "social package" to be launched in cooperation with Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla to promote access, opportunities and solidarity for all EU citizens, she explained.Vassiliou said that she knows that "some commissioners are sceptical" about the proposal, but expressed her desire to clarify confusion among those who think the issue revolves around services. "We are not talking about exchange of services or freedom of movement of services, this is about the rights of EU citizens and their right to have their health care in any part of the EU as the Treaty provides," she underlined.  (read more...

ABOUT "EIT" European Institute of Innovation and Technology
Creating the "EIT : Mission and main features

Mar 2008

Signing of the legal act establishing the European Insitute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) by the European Parliament and the Council, 11th March 2008.

Innovation is the key to growth, competitiveness and thus social well-being in the 21 st century.  The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a new initiative which aims to become a flagship for excellence in European innovation in order to face the challenges of globalisation.  Although Europe already has excellent education and research institutions, their representatives are often isolated from the business world and do not obtain together the "critical mass" necessary for innovation.

The EIT is the first European initiative to integrate fully the three sides of the "Knowledge Triangle" ( Higher Education, Research, Business-Innovation ) and will seek to stand out as a world-class innovation-orientated reference model, inspiring and driving change in existing education and research institutions.

By boosting the EU's capacity to transform education and research results into tangible commercial innovation opportunities, the EIT will further bridge the innovation gap between the EU and its major international competitors.  The EIT will favour sustainable economic growth and job creation throughout the Union by generating new products, services and markets responding both to public demand and to the needs of the knowledge economy.

Based on partnerships known as “ Knowledge and Innovation Communities ” (KICs) – highly integrated public-private networks of universities, research organisations and businesses – the EIT's activities will be coordinated by a Governing Board ensuring its strategic management. Direct involvement of business stakeholders, including SMEs, in all strategic, operational and financial aspects of the Institute is the cornerstone of the initiative. (read more....)

Commission sets EIT in motion: the "Identification Committee" starts its work

07 Feb 2008

The wheels of the "European Institute of Innovation and Technology" (EIT) were set in motion this week when Jan Figel', the European Commissioner for Education and Culture, announced the composition of the committee tasked with recommending members for the EIT Governing Board.

Speaking to the European Parliament and the Council on 5 February, the Commissioner named four high-level scientists with strong private sector experience, who will now begin their work of selecting potential candidates to make up the Board of the EIT.

The members of the Identification Committee are Professor Günter Stock, Chairman, President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; Professor Miklos Boda, Advisor to the Rector at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics; Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, chairwoman of the Royal University of Technology in Stockholm; and Professor Ronan Stéphan, director for industrial affairs and technology transfer of the French CNRS, and executive director of France Innovation Scientifique et Transfert.

The four will choose the 18 distinguished members of the future EIT Governing Board, drawn from the worlds of science, academia and business. Once approved, the Governing Board will begin its remit to steer the activities of the Institute. Its role will be to set the overall strategic priorities of the EIT, select the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and evaluate and coordinate their work.

The Commission is hoping the appointment of the Board's members will take place before the summer 2008, after the adoption of the EIT regulation by the Council in March 2008. The EIT could then be established in 2008 and the first KICs could be up and running in 2009. The physical location of the EIT has yet to be decided, but this is expected within 12 months after the regulation enters into force.

The EIT will have the primary objective of contributing to the development of innovation capacity in the EU, bringing together beacons of excellence in higher education, research and competitiveness (the 'knowledge triangle'). The EIT will aim to facilitate and enhance networking and cooperation and create synergies between innovation communities in Europe. (read more...)

EC to hold e-health management workshop

28 Jan 2008

The European Commission is to hold a workshop on e-health management, organised by the ePractice.eu portal – the EC's web service for the professional community of eGovernment, eInclusion and e-health practitioners. The workshop will be facilitated by e-health experts and will be introduced by a high-level keynote speaker, still to be confirmed.

Three different e-health cases will be introduced briefly, before the workshop divides into three breakout sessions in which each case is explored in further detail. A number of core issues and questions will be discussed throughout the day. Making up the three cases will be the Macro government level, centered on Britain's NHS service, Hospital Catalonia in Spain will look at the institutional hospital level, and a separate presentation will look at the clinical to patient level, focusing on electronic patient records . 

The aim of the workshop is to review IT management issues with a core focus on e-health. It is geared to two sets of people - those with a particular interest in e-health and those with a general interest in public services and their use of information and communication technologies.

Especially welcome are health service managers and executives, public sector officials, civil servants, ICT managers, designers and implementers.

Key questions relating to e-health and IT implementation will be discussed. These are:

  • How was your e-health initiative developed, the technology chosen and taken up, and the preparation of implementation launched?
  • Who is leading the introduction, how are decisions taken, how is IT represented on the corporate board?
  • Who is participating in the implementation, how is continuous improvement managed, who is responsible?
  • Which group(s) are most resistant (if at all), how is overcoming this resistance managed?
  • If completed, what are the major lessons learned from the experience, what could have been done differently?

The event will be held in July and is free of charge. For further information and registration, please visit: http://www.epractice.eu/workshop/eHealthmanagement .

Commission plans to accelerate e-health market

09 Jan 2008

The European Commission has published a new strategy aimed at accelerating the growth of the e-health market in Europe by removing legal and regulatory barriers and promoting interoperability over the next two years. 

The new paper, ‘Accelerating the Development of the eHealth Market in Europe', forms part of the Commission's new ‘Lead Market Initiative' (LMI) in e-health, designed to create a thriving pan-European e-health market.  E-health is the first of six LMIs being carried out by the Commission, with similar initaitives to follow in protective textiles, sustainable construction, recycling, bio-based products and renewable energies. The aim is to maximise the potential of each of these markets and reduce the cost of bringing new products or services into the market.

The e-health LMI paper says the e-health industry in the EU was estimated to be worth €21bn in 2006 and has the potential to be the third largest industry in the healthcare sector, with rapid double-digit growth anticipated by the end of the decade. (read more...)

Information of EC Latest & next steps on the  EHRs ongoing issues

  • 19 Dec. 2007 : Commission adopts directive on "safe, high-quality and efficient  cross-border healthcare ". 
  • 20 Dec. 2007 : Official launch of  e-health lead market initiative .
  • Jan. 2008 : Commission inter-service consultation on the draft  Recommendation on eHealth interoperability . 
  • Feb. or March 2008 : Recommendation due for publication.

Accelerating the Development of the eHealth Market in Europe

Source: Infso-newsroom/ ec.europa.eu
Friday, 21 December 2007
(introductory text as in: " ehealthnews.eu ")

This report on lead market opportunities for eHealth proposes actions aiming at accelerating the development of the European eHealth market, increasing economic benefits and simultaneously developing the quality of health products and services. The prospective return on investment of eHealth is relatively high when compared to the costs inherent in the health sector.

A "lead market" can be defined as a market for innovative products and services or technological solutions with high growth potential; a market where EU industry can develop com petitive advantage to lead in international markets; a market that requires action by the public authorities to deal with regulatory obstacles. (as in: " ehealthnews.eu ")

The above definition of Lead Market is the backbone of this paper, which assesses the driving factors related to the eHealth market, its potential in terms of growing demand and market growth opportunities, changing demographics and disease patterns, and healthcare capabilities in eHealth. Subsequently, the paper illustrates the eHealth market's incoherent positioning throughout Member States as well as the latent market areas. Structural barriers delaying successful market breakthrough, such as market fragmentation, lack of financial support and procurement issues, which collectively affect the development of demand for eHealth products and services, are thoroughly considered. The paper points out the positive impacts to be expected from eHealth, including strategic (competitive advantage and interoperability leading to technology advances), economic (economies of scale) and social (improvements in service level and access to health services).

Download "Accelerating the Development of the eHealth Market in Europe" Report
(.pdf, 720 KB)

European Commission recently adopted a new Health Strategy

Based on: eHealthNews.eu 
27 October 2007

A new health strategy was adopted by the European Commission on 23 October. The White Paper - "Together for Health - A Strategic Approach for the EU, 2008-2013" - sets out a framework to respond to a wide range of health challenges in a comprehensive and coherent way. Main goals are fostering good health in an ageing population, protecting citizens from health threats and supporting dynamic health systems based on new technologies

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou says: "Migration, the mobility of health professionals and patients, the risks posed by pandemics and bioterrorism, all represent additional challenges. So do globalisation and climate change. The time has come for the EU to develop a strong and comprehensive strategy on health". The importance of research to the strategy, is also underlined by Kyprianou: "health policy must be based on the best scientific evidence derived form sound data and information, and relevant research".  ( read more...)

The European Commission presented the preliminary results of the public consultation on the future of the European Research Area

Source:  IPR HelpDesk News
Date: 18 October 2007

The European Commission recently presented the preliminary results of the public consultation on the future of the European Research Area (ERA). The consultation identifies six priorities (i.e. knowledge-sharing, researchers, research infrastructures, research institutions, research programmes and international cooperation) that the Commission considers fundamental for the future of the ERA. The preliminary analysis also revealed that actions on all ERA dimensions are strongly supported at all levels of governance and that scientists prefer voluntary cooperation and networking rather than binding legislative action at the European level. However, as the Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik said on 8th October at the Lisbon Conference on the Future of Science and Technology in Europe, progress made since 2000 in building the ERA are still "too timid" and its achievement will require a higher and shared commitment by the parties concerned.

Related Links :

European Commission press release Speech of Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik: The Future of Science & Technology in Europe

Stakeholder Consultation and related preliminary results on the Green Paper on the ERA

Previous Related IPR-Helpdesk news items:

2007/09/11 European Union. The ERC has published a paper with recommendations for the re-launching of the ERA

2007/04/11 EU. The European Commission presents its vision for the future of the European Research Area

EU: the Commission and the Council have  published new Calls for Proposals

August 2007

The European Commission published the following calls in the Official Journal:

  • Call for proposals under the work programme of the 7th EC Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (Cooperation Specific Programmes: Information and Communication Technologies and Security - FP7-ICT-SEC-2007-1);
  • Call for Tender: Monitoring and Control: today's Market, its evolution till 2020 and the impact of ICT on these (2007/S 151-187360).
  • In addition, the Council published the open call "European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research" (COST - 2007/C 169/09).

Related Links:

Call for proposals under the work programme of the 7th EC Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (Cooperation Specific Programmes: Information and Communication Technologies and Security - FP7-ICT-SEC-2007-1)

Further information on this Call for proposals

Call for Tender: Monitoring and Control: today's Market, its evolution till 2020 and the impact of ICT on these (2007/S 151-187360)

EU: The Commission opens a new web portal on the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme

Date: 31 July 2007

DG Enterprise and Industry recently launched a new web portal on the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). CIP aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises through three specific programmes: the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP), the ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP), and the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE). They will foster the competitiveness of enterprises, in particular SMEs, by promoting all forms of innovation and energy efficiency.

The portal will provide detailed information on these programmes including related funding opportunities offered by the grants available. Further information on CIP and other EU funding opportunities can also be obtained from the Euro Info Centres and the Innovation Relay Centres.

Related Links: Portal on the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme
IPR Helpdesk document on CIP

Related News: 13/11/2006. EU. Decision on the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme published

European Union. Switzerland signs an agreement to participate in the 7th Framework Programme

From: IPR HelpDesk News
27 June, 2007 

The EU and Switzerland signed an agreement enabling Switzerland to join the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) at the Competitiveness Council in Luxembourg on 25th June.  According to the agreement, Swiss research institutions, universities and private entities will be able to take part in all aspects of FP7 on the same terms as their counterparts in the EU Member States. This agreement constitutes a follow-up to the one signed in 2004 regarding the FP6.

It is estimated that Switzerland's participation will bring an additional 1.4 billion euros to the FP7 budget of about 54 billion euros.

Related Links : Related press release in the German EU Presidency web site. DG Research FP7 Web Site

Three Western Balkan countries and Turkey join FP7

Croatia, Serbia and Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey are now eligible to compete on an equal footing with EU Member States in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), following the signature of Memoranda of Understanding with the European Commission.

Reminder: ICT PSP 1st Call for Proposals 2007 Dead Line!

The first call for proposals of the ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP) opened on 25 May 2007 and will close on 23 October 2007 . The call text, the Guide for Applicants and all relevant forms and templates for the submission of a proposal are available on the following page . Relevant documents have been uploaded into the Library of the site, under the section " Reference documents ". The opening of this first call follows the adoption of the Work Programme for 2007 by the Commission, as well as an Information Day held on 24 May in Brussels, which hosted over 450 interested participants. Click here to see the presentations of the Info Day.   

CIP - ICT PSP Leaflet  (June 2007)

Call for Tender - Economic Impact of Interoperable Electronic Health Record and ePrescription in Europe

EC- DG INFSO
Date: 21 June, 2007

The European Commission's Directorate General for the Information Society and Media has issued a call for tenders for a study on the economic impact of interoperable electronic health record and e-prescription in Europe.

The subject of the contract is provision of a study on economic aspects of e-health in general and more specifically in relation to electronic health records and e-prescribing solutions. The specific goals of the study are:

  • to identify practices that represent best practices - both at a general level and particularly in economic terms - in terms of the implementation of interoperable electronic health records and e-prescription in Europe;
  • to apply state-of-the-art evaluation methodologies and approaches focusing on efficiency and economic benefits in the implementation of electronic health records and e-prescription solutions;
  • to apply the chosen methods to a limited number of sites (approximately 10) - within the secondary care sphere, hospitals or regional health networks in a range of Member States, analyse, and present the findings.

For further information, please visit :
ICT for Health, Studies 2007-2008

Time-limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate: 13.August.2007 (16h00).

To see the full details of the call , please consult the following web address :http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:122426-2007:TEXT:EN:HTML

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have launched a new instrument to finance research and innovation                          

Source: IPR Bulletin  ( www.ipr-helpdesk.org )
Date: 8 June, 2007

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a cooperation agreement establishing a new risk-sharing finance facility (RSFF) to support research and innovation. Participants in RTD projects face problems obtaining financing due to the relatively high level of uncertainty and risk inherent to their field of activity. The RSFF will cover part of the financial risks assumed by the EIB when financing this type of activity.

Initially, RSFF will mostly benefit medium and large innovative companies and public entities. However, RSFF will also be open to smaller entities contributing to FP7 objectives. The RSFF is part of the 7th Framework Programme and EIB's programme for Research and Innovation.

Read more at  IPR Bulletin

EC announces large scale eHealth pilot

04 Jun 2007

The European Commission has begun its tendering process for a large scale Pilot of an EU wide implementation of eHealth services to support continuity of care.
Speaking at the EC's ICT Policy Support Programme – Work Programme 2007 launch day in Brussels on 24 May, Dr Gérard Comyn, head of the EC's ICT for Health unit, said that a call will be made for businesses to take part in a €12m project aiming at testing and showing the value of ICT-based solutions for citizens, governments and businesses.
Dr Comyn told E-Health Europe: “The ultimate goal of the policies supported by the eHealth theme is to ensure the implementation of EU-wide interoperable health services. The approach is to build on existing national/regional solutions, expertise or experience, and to progress step by step.”

The Pilot will look at two specific sets of services – an EU wide implementation of patient's summary to support continuity of care and an EU wide implementation of ePrescription solutions to support continuity of care.
In a statement from Dr Comyn's office, EHE was told: “A main focus in 2007 will be on pilot actions addressing the EU wide implementation of patient's summaries or Emergency Data Set as well as electronic medication records and ePrescription to support continuity of care. This will be complemented by activities supporting experience sharing and consensus building in eHealth.
“The expected outcome is an integrated pilot solution based on common specifications and building blocks. If successful, it will have a great impact on EC eHealth including higher patient mobility across Europe facilitating access to healthcare, reduction of bureaucratic barriers and waiting lists . It will also bring about improved quality of care, improved efficiency gains and improved efficiency of healthcare systems.”
The aim of the Pilot is to create a patient's summary, which has a minimum data set containing essential information needed in case of unexpected or unscheduled care, providing continuity of care, contributing to patient safety and having one summary record including all its associated components such as identifiers, authentication and security mechanisms.
This will combine with ePrescription solutions as a set of at least three types of application, namely electronic medication records, decision support systems, electronic transmission of prescriptions. The plot shall cover at least, but not exclusively, electronic medication records, making available essential administrative, clinical data related to medicines ( medication history, prescription patterns etc ) and contributing to the development of an internal market for pharmaceuticals
Anyone from an EU member state is invited to participate in this project, and a consortium will be formed after the closing date with the chosen participants.

The consortium must involve public bodies or implementation authorities which are already operating nationally or regionally in the relevant areas.
A call has also been made to set up a thematic network looking at the creation of a European coordination network looking at eHealth interoperability implementation and how to facilitate a wider implementation of RFID applications in the healthcare sector.
The objective is to mobilise stakeholders in order to ensure higher consistency in eHealth implementation actions and improve experience sharing and consensus building in the field.
A call fiche for these two projects has now been launched and participants are invited to apply. The closing date is 23 October, at 1700 hours Brussels time.
For a full look at the tender visit:  cip _ictpsp_wp.pdf

CALL FOR TENDER:  Economic Impact of Interoperable Electronic Health Records & ePrescription in Europe                          

(Deadline: 13/ August/ 2007)

The objectives of this study are to contribute to those activities that deal with the collection, analysis and eventual dissemination of best practices in the domain of eHealth. This study will more specifically focus on economic aspects of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and ePrescription solutions.

See : CALL for TENDER 

ICT Policy Support Programme - The first Call for Proposals is now open

(Deadline: 23/ Oct/ 2007 )

The first call for proposals of the ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP) opened on 25 May 2007 and will close on 23 October 2007. The call text, the Guide for Applicants and all relevant forms and templates for the submission of a proposal are available online.

See all the refrence documents at  Europa Info Society

Call for experts - ICT Policy Support Programme of CIP

Source: eHealth News - EC
Date: 9 May, 2007

Call for expression of interest addressed to individuals for the establishment of a database of prospective independent experts to assist the Commission's services for tasks in connection with the ICT Policy Support Programme of CIP (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme).
Read more... http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/545/27/

eHealth priorities and strategies in European countries

Source: EC -INFSO
Wednesday, 04 April 2007

The European Commission, Directorate General Information Society and Media, supports the eHealth ERA Coordination Action project to contribute to the coordination of Member States' eHealth strategy formulation and implementation as well as eHealth-related research and technology development. The project surveys and analyses eHealth roadmaps and programmes across Europe, identifies common priority issues, and develops suggestions for joint actions. All results will consecutively be made available at the eHealth ERA website (www.ehealth-era.org).

This report presents fact sheets of all European countries for which validated information about their eHealth strategies and implementation was available to the project by the end of January 2007. In countries not listed in this report, there may nevertheless be eHealth strategies and implementation activities ongoing or planned. The status of activities described is generally August 2006.

The report is the outcome of research in the context of eHealth ERA, which is implemented by empirica GmbH (co-ordinating partner, Germany), STAKES (Finland), CITTRU (Poland), ISC III (Spain), CNR (Italy) and EPSRC (United Kingdom), based on a Coordination Action contract with the European Commission .

Download "eHealth priorities and strategies in European countries" eHealth ERA Report, March 2007(pdf 3,39MB)

EC runs the last 30 Projects under the former eTEN Programme.

Source: IST Results Newsletter
Nov 2006

(EC) The European Commission has launched 30 new eTEN projects to run over the next three years. These will be the last batch of eTEN projects and they will validate and deploy electronic services that serve the European public in areas including eHealth , eGovernment, eLearning, eInclusion, SME support, and trust and security.

eTEN programmes aim to support the deployment of public-interest e-services across the EU , and in recent years have been adapted to encourage the emergence of large projects with high impact. Projects already supported include ePOLL, an electronic voting and polling system which is now being piloted in three member states; Netc@rds , a project preparing the electronic phase of the European Health Insurance Cards, which is expanding to cover 300 hospitals in 15 countries; and MICHAEL, a project developing simple, multilingual access to Europe's digital cultural heritage encompassing the on-line treasures of 13 national collections.

From 2007 onwards, support for electronic services in areas of public interest will be provided by the ICT Policy Support Programme ( ICT PSP ), part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme ( CIP ) which will run until 2013.  ( http://europa.eu.int/ )

Note: EHTO is preparing soon to disseminate the list of the eTEN funded Projects in the eHealth area. 

How to Apply to the 1st FPT Published Call (22 December 2006)

                                     - COOPERATION AREA  -  

42 calls for proposal open!
The first calls for proposal - all 42 of them - published under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) are still open. Details of all open FP7 calls can be found via the CORDIS FP7 Find a Call service. Calls are open in each of the four pillars of FP7: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities, as well as in the Euratom programme.

ERA-NET / ERA-NET Plus Call 2007

Identifier: FP7-ERANET-2007-RTD

Publication date : 22 December 2006    Deadline : 31 July 2007 at 17:00 (Brussels local time)

Budget: € 28 900 000

Specific Programme : [Cooperation] OJ Reference: OJ C316 of 22 December 2006

Theme(s):  [Energy] [Environment (including Climate Change)] [General Activities - Annex IV] [Health] [Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology] [Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies] [Socio-economic sciences and Humanities] [Transport (including Aeronautics)] 

Restrictions to Participation:   see eligibility criteria in the Work Programme

(read more...)
Commission announces date for first FP7 calls

Source: CORDIS News at  DG Research Briefing   

Date:  24 Nov 2006  

The European Commission has announced the date of the opening of the first calls for proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

With FP7 reaching the end of its adoption process (the European Parliament expected to give its green light on 30 November), the European Commission has announced 22 December as the day when the first calls for proposals will open.

The Director General of DG Research, José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, made the announcement at a briefing session on the biggest EU Research programme to date. 'Tomorrow's answers start today with the Seventh Research Framework Programme,' he said.

He also outlined some of the new elements in the €53 billion programme, which will bundle all research-related EU initiatives together under one roof.

Mr Rodríguez explained how the objectives of FP7 have been grouped into research themes; Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities. He went on to explain how the programme will develop research that will meet the needs of European industry through the work carried out by Technology Platforms and the new Joint Technology Initiatives.

The Director General finished on a high note by stating that all procedures would be simplified. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) would be actively encouraged to get involved and the newly established European Research Council (ERC) would fund the best of European fundamental science.

The Seventh Framework Programme will be fully operational as of 1 January and will expire in 2013.

For more information, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/
http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/home_en.html
A Short Overview of FP7 – Tackling the Callenges

Source: Cordis-Europa http://cordis.europa.eu

Date: 21 Nov 2006

Introduction

The FP7 ICT Work Programme 2007 defines the priorities for the calls for proposals to be launched in 2007. The priorities are faithful to the FP7 Framework Programme and Specific Programme decisions and in line with the main ICT policy priorities as defined in the i2010 initiative. They reflect the input received from the Programme Committee and Advisory Group , the European Technology Platforms and a series of detailed consultations with the main stakeholders.  Read more...

The ICT Work Programme under FP7 is divided into seven ‘Challenges' of strategic interest to European society, plus research into ‘Future and emerging technologies' and support for horizontal actions, such as international cooperation:

Download 4-page overview of ICT in FP7 ( 172KB )

Download the " ICT R&D Work Programme for 2007-08"

Source: Cordis-Europa http://cordis.europa.eu
Date : Nov 2006 

The Draft Work Programme for ICT research in FP7 for 2007 and 2008 is now available online :

EC Report on Connected Health - Safety and Quality for the EU Citizens

Source: Europa Information Society Health Policy               
Date: September 2006

To read this PDF document click here

6th FWP Tender: Guidance on nuclear medicine installations and imaging (TED CALL)
[Announcement Date: 2006-09-20] (more)

Dutch, Danish and French enterprises win IST Grand Prize 2006
Source: IST Results (RAPID) http://europa.eu.int/rapid
Date: 24 March 2006

The winners of the European Information Society Technology Grand Prizes for 2006 have been announced in Vienna. The prizes were awarded for a computer memory that can survive radiation and temperatures up to 200°C , a security system that recognises your face , and a digital content ‘finger-printing' system to deter multimedia pirates .

French, Danish and Dutch firms won the three Grand Prizes, worth €200,000 each . Seventeen more prizes, of €5,000 each, were awarded to ground-breaking technologies from 12 countries. The top 20 projects were selected by the European Commission on 16 March from a total of 213 applicants from 28 European countries.

“Tonight we celebrate European enterprises that excel in information and communication technology innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Their products can be built into those of other firms in many industries, and so enhance the competitiveness of the EU economy as a whole,” said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding, as she announced the winners on 23 March 2006.

The European IST Prize is organized by the European Commission together with the European Council of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering (Euro-CASE). It is open each year to companies or organizations that present an innovative information technology product with promising market potential.

IST PRIZES 2006

Up to 20 European IST Prize Winners and up to 3 Grand Prize Winners will be celebrated at the European IST Prize Awards Ceremony in Vienna on 22 March 2006

20 Nominees for the 2006 IST Grand Prize have been proposed to the European Commission by independent experts from 16 European countries, nominated by Euro-CASE and agreed by the European Commission.

The 20 Nominees for the Grand Prize have been drawn from a pool of 66 Nominees for the 2006 European IST Prize . They come from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain and UK. (more)

EC LAUNCHING 6th IST CALL (Ambient Assisted Living)
Date: 23 Dec 2005

(EC) The European Commission has launched IST Call 6, with a total indicative budget of €140 million and is covering Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), advanced robotics, search engines for audiovisual content and international cooperation. The call is launched under sixth framework programme and will close on 25 April 2006. (more)

Healthy Life Years - In the core of the Lisbon Strategy
Source: Europa-Public Health & Consumer Protection  (DG SANCO - News)
Site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm
Date: 27-01-2006

The Healthy Life Years indicator (also called disability-free life expectancy) measures the number of remaining years that a person of a certain age is still supposed to live without disability. Healthy Life Years is a solid indicator to monitor health as a productivity/economic factor. Healthy Life Years introduces the concept of quality of life. It is used to distinguish between years of life free of any activity limitation and years experienced with at least one activity limitation. The emphasis is not exclusively on the length of life, as is the case for life expectancy, but also on the quality of life.

Healthy Life Years (HLY) is a functional health status measure that is increasingly used to complement the conventional life expectancy measures. The HLY measure was developed to reflect the fact that not all years of a person's life are typically lived in perfect health. Chronic disease, frailty, and disability tend to become more prevalent at older ages, so that a population with a higher life expectancy may not be healthier. Indeed, a major question with an aging population is whether increases in life expectancy will be associated with a greater or lesser proportion of the future population spending their years living with disability. If HLY is increasing more rapidly than life expectancy in a population, then not only is people living longer, they are also living a greater portion of their lives free of disability. (more)

Commission Adopts New EU Public Health & Consumer Protection Programme
Source: EUROPA -Health & Consumer Protection DG

The Commission adopted an EU Public Health and Consumer Protection programme on April 6, within the overall framework of the draft 2007-13 Financial Perspectives. The proposed Programme combines and extends the current EU Public Health Programme and the current financing programme in support of EU consumer policy. Both common and specific objectives and actions for health and consumer protection policy are outlined in the draft Programme, and in consolidating the two programmes into one, the Commission aims to exploit synergies between health and consumer policies.
(more)

The new EU health and Consumer Protection Strategy

On 6 April, the Commission adopted a strategy and programme proposal setting out a number of ambitious targets for EU health policy from 2007 until 2013.

The strategy and programme proposal brings EU health and consumer protection policies together under a single framework. This will give more weight and visibility to two policies at the heart of citizens' concerns that share important objectives such as health protection and citizens' information. It will also develop positive synergies in terms of economies of scale and streamlining of administrative procedures.
(more)

VIVIANE REDING opening speech

Introduction to the Ministerial Round Table
(“e Health 2005” Conference, Trömso, Norway – May 23, 2005)

Dear Ms Smith
Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my great pleasure to join you here today at this third high-level European conference on e Health. I am proud to introduce this Round Table – at which the European Ministers responsible for e Health are meeting.

eHealth is a priority for the European Commission. We are convinced that information and communication technologies can help to achieve more efficient, effective, and responsive health systems in Europe.

This conference forms part of the e Health action plan. This plan – adopted by the European Commission a year ago – aims to create, by 2010 a borderless European health information space. (more)

The European IST Prize Awards Ceremony is announced
Date: 27/01/2005

The European IST Prize Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 26 April 2005, 18.00-20.00, at the Palace of the Academies in Brussels.

The three Grand Prize Winners will be awarded the European IST Prize Trophy and a Prize of each 200,000 € by Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Mrs Viviane Reding, and Mr Guy Demuynck, Chairman of the European IST Prize Executive Jury.

Anticipating future IST 
Date: 03/03/2005

The recently launched IST BEYOND-THE-HORIZON project aims to provide input about IST-related emerging trends and strategic research areas that require support, through a well-organised, extensive and systematic consultation of the relevant research community throughout Europe, involving the main actors and experts in the related fields.

It is critically important for Future and Emerging Technologies' visionary ambition to regularly receive from the IST-related European research community focused and structured input, based on shared understanding, about emerging trends and strategic areas that require support, in order to build up European excellence, develop a scientific critical mass and keep European research a step ahead.

http://www.beyond-the-horizon.net

IST project wins 2004 EU Descartes Prize
Source:  IST Results  (http://istresults.cordis.lu)
Date: 3/12/04

EU Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik awarded this year's ?1 million EU Descartes Prize for outstanding cross-border research to two pan-European teams, one of which was an IST project team, [MAFTIA] that has made revolutionary breakthroughs in the field of quantum cryptography, a crucial advance towards secure global communication networks. "The Descartes Prize recognises the best in European collaborative research. It shows just how much we can achieve when we work together at European level," said
Commissioner Potocnik. Eight finalists, representing a broad field of science and technology disciplines, competed for the 2004 Descartes Prize for Research.
(more)

EC announces Open Standards Definition 
Source: http://europa.eu.int/ida/ 
Date: 22/11/04

At the 'Open Standards and Libre Software in Government' conference recently held in The Hague, the European Commission announced their definition of open standards.

Barbara Held from the European Commission's IDA (Interchange of Data between Administrations) Unit announced the definition of Open Standards, which require the intellectual property - i.e. patents possibly present - of (parts of) the standard to be made irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis. It also calls for no constraints to be imposed on the
re-use of the standard.

The event was organised by MERIT, University of Maastricht under the IST FP6 project FLOSSPOLS and the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and of the Interior.

Open standards and Free/Libre/Open Source software is of critical importance to governments across Europe, which was reflected by keynote speakers. Furthermore, the need for collaboration between governments and citizens has been emphasised as well as the urge to the open source community to make technical matters easier to understand for decision-makers.

European Commission To Evaluate E-Health
Source: www.newmediamedicine.com
Date: 22/10/04

The EU is to investigate 'best practices' in e-health across the continent, the European Commission has announced. The aim of the study is to provide the Commission's Information Society Directorate with a report on the impact of e-health services in Europe.

The study will cover several areas including:
Identification identification of best practices in health IT, especially those contributing to 'efficiency and cost benefits';
Devising a common approach to evaluate e-health products and services;
Contributing to the EU's e-health action plan.

The Commission started work on an e-health action plan earlier in 2004. The aim is to ensure that new IT, such as an electronic patient record, is interoperable across Europe. The Commission also wants to make governments and the public more aware of the benefits of e-health.

www.newmediamedicine.com

Viviane Reding - new Information Society and Media Commissioner
Source: http://europa.eu.int
Date: 13/08/004

(RAPID) Viviane Reding has been nominated as Commissioner for Information Society and Media. Up from November she will be responsible for information society, audiovisual policy and the coordination of media affairs. From 1999 to 2004 she has been a Member of the European Commission responsible for education and culture. During that period she has launched new support programmes for culture and audiovisual policy and new initiatives in the education policy.

http://europa.eu.int

The MODINIS Workprogramme
Source: eEurope site
Date: 03/05/004

The multi-annual Community programme MODINIS was adopted on 17th November 2003 for the period 2003 to 2005, by the common decision of the Council and the European Parliament. The programme provides financial support for the implementation of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan.

adopted_version_modinis (doc)

eEurope 2005 Action Plan
Source: eEurope site

The eEurope 2005 Action Plan was launched at the Seville European Council in June 2002 and endorsed by the Council of Ministers in the eEurope Resolution of January 2003. It aims to develop modern public services and a dynamic environment for e-business through widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices and a secure information infrastructure. (more)

eEurope Resolution (doc)

e-Health Ministerial declaration - 22 March 2003
Source: eEurope site

The impact of e-Health is, as diverse as the sector itself, encompassing the quality of health-related Web content, patient data security, ‘telemedicine’ technologies, tackling administrative headaches for hospital staff, doctors and patients, and much more. (more)

EU moves to Sever Microsoft's Media Player from Windows
Source: E-Commerce Times (http://www.ecommercetimes.com)
(09.03.04)

In an accusation reminiscent of Microsoft's U.S. antitrust case -- which
dealt with the company's bundling of the Internet Explorer Web browser
with the Windows operating system -- the European Commission has
signaled it might penalize Microsoft or force it to separate its Windows
Media Player from its operating system for antitrust violations.

See the Full Story: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33071.html

eContent Update of the Workprogramme for the year 2004
(13/02/04)

The eContent programme supports the increased availability, use and distribution of European
digital content. It aims at improving access for all to high-quality digital content on the global
networks, in a multiplicity of languages. A work programme for the years 2003 and 2004 was
adopted by the Commission on 19 December 20021 defining priorities of actions for these two
years. (more)

Ireland 2004 Presidency of the European Comission
(06/02/04)

Tánaiste's Welcome Speech for CORDIS Irish Presidency Website (more)

e-Europe 2005 e-Health
(23/09/2003)

The Information Society offers new possibilities for improving almost every aspect of healthcare, from making medical systems more powerful to providing better health information to everyone. (more)

Commission drafts guidelines on financing electronic communications infrastructure
(29/07/2003)

In the context of the mid-term review of structural funds interventions, the Commission has announced that it is to prepare guidelines to facilitate regional and local authorities in their appraisal and selection of investment projects related to electronic communications. (more)

Commission outlines actions to combat spam
(29/07/2003)

The Commission has outlined a number of actions to combat the growth of unsolicited e-mail, otherwise known as spam. (more)

Commission: improving financial management of RD projects
(16/04/03)

The Commission has adopted an action plan aimed at improving and clarifying the financial management of shared cost research projects.

The plan follows observation by some Directors-General in 2001 and was requested to address “the complexity of financial management of indirect actions through simplification and enhanced consistency between the different systems currently in place and through improved contract management.” (more)

French government launches eContent web service
(16/04/03)

Following the European Commission's call for proposals for the eContent programme on 20 December 2003, the French government has launched an eContent web service.

eContent is a market-oriented programme, which aims to support the production, use and distribution of European digital content and to promote linguistic and cultural diversity on the global networks. (more)

Commission publishes latest R&D figures for Europe
(09/04/03)

The European Commission has published a new booklet entitled 'Towards a European Research Area. Science, Technology and Innovation - key figures 2002'.

The publication lists statistics from the EU Member States, and where relevant, third countries, under the following headings:

- R&D [research and development] investment for the knowledge-based economy;
- Human resources in S&T [science and technology];
- Comparing performances in science, technology and innovation;
- Impacts of the knowledge-based economy on competitiveness;
- Research in EFTA [European free trade association] and candidate countries: great potential. (more)

Enhanced security is crucial for successful ICT, says Commissioner Liikanen
(31/03/03)

Enhanced security is a key element for the success of information and communication technologies (ICT), said Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society Erkki Liikanen as he launched a proposal to establish a European network and information security Agency, on 10 February.

The European network and information security agency's main objective would be to coordinate computer emergency response teams across Europe. They will then respond to emergency network issues by distributing warnings and publicising security-related standards. (more)

E. C.- Recommendation for regulatory framework on electronic communications
(25/03/03)

In an effort to harmonise diverging national approaches, the European Commission adopted a final recommendation for a new regulatory framework on electronic communication networks and services on 11 February.

The new framework outlines the rules that network operators and service providers need to follow when dealing with other operators, providers and customers. National regulatory authorities will be responsible for implementing the framework which is scheduled to come into force from July 2003. (more)

E.C., "e-Content" Programme - Partner Search
(10/01/03)

The third Call of the "e-Content" programme was launched on December 20th 2002. Being myself the national contact point for France, we propose helping you to find french partners for the projects you would like to submit for this programme.
We propose this help in two ways :

First, to help you find an additional (complementary) French partner to complete your own project.
Secondly, forward your wish to join, as additional (complementary) partner, to a project being developed by french entities.

How ?

It is very simple : you send us an e-mail, without attachment, mentioning clearly :
- the action line concerned
- a short description/summary of the project you would like to submit, or of the type of project which you would like to join.
- your activity
- a web site address where someone can learn more about your company
- the contact person in your company : name, telephone, e-mail address and eventually the languages spoken to ensure optimal co-operation.

This e-mail will then be forwarded to interested parties who will in turn contact you to continue to exploit the existence of a mutual interest.

Thank you very much for your attention

Your requests should be sent to

patrick.schouller@industrie.gouv.fr

Commission calls for experts
(5/12/02)

On 4 December the Commission published two calls for experts to assist in evaluating and selecting proposals for research projects to be funded within the Sixth EU Research Framework Programme (FP6 2002-2006). Under FP6, proposals will continue to be evaluated and selected for funding with the help of independent external scientists. This "peer review" system will be further streamlined to ensure the procedure is even more transparent and efficient. Within the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5 1998-2002) the Commission's database containing over 35,000 experts was used to select some 10, 000 experts to assess 60,000 proposals. (more)

European IST Prize - 20 winners announced
(30/10/02)

The 20 winners of the most competitive European Information Society Technology (IST) prize in the contest's history have been announced. (more)

E.C Proposal for a Directive of the E.P. and the Council on the Exploitation and Re-Use of Public Sector Documents
(16/09/02)

  • Document available here
    (acrobat reader format - pdf)

Pharmaceuticals in Europe Getting the Future Legal Framework Right (Mr. Erkki Liikanen)
(02/05/02)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Before I discuss the Commission's proposal for the future legal framework governing pharmaceuticals I would like to consider the context of the proposal.

What are the challenges that face us today and for the foreseeable future? There are many challenges including:

  • Improving the competitiveness of the European-based pharmaceutical industry;
  • Enlargement;
  • Developing the EU science base;
  • Meeting EU citizens' expectations to have access not only to high quality medicines but to the latest generation of medicines as quickly and as safely as possible.

One of the most important developments at a European level is the ongoing review of European pharmaceutical legislation.

The Pharmaceutical Review

The focus on patients and the social imperative to provide medicines and care for all are deeply-held convictions in Europe.

These convictions have inspired the adoption of the entire European pharmaceutical legislation by the Community institutions since the adoption of the first directive of 1965 in the field of human medicinal products. (more)

eTEN Call and Information Day
(12/02/02)

A new eTEN Call for proposals (2002/1) is to be launched at end June with a budget around 12 Million €.

eTEN is the evolution of the Community Programme TEN-Telecom, aiming at the promotion of e.services to be deployed across Europe in several areas of common interest.

An Information Day will take place in Brussels, Building Charlemagne- Rue de la Loi 170 the 4 July 2002 (9.00-16.30). It will be the opportunity to present and discuss the new eTEN Workprogramme 2002 and how to apply.

Registration in the event, information on the work programme and the call are provided at www.ten-telecom.org.

Stephan Pascall, Head of Unit
European Commission, Directorate General Information Society, Trans-European telecommunications networks

Towards the Sixth Framework Programme- Figures, General Objectives (EC Presentation, Research DG)
(16/04/02)

Visit the official website at:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/nfp.html

Or download the presentation in pdf format:

"Towards the Sixth Framework Programme" - Presentation

Bratislava Conference : Addressing Ethics in Research and Science
(20/02/02)

Ethics in research and science: situation and perspectives in the candidate countries to the European Union' will be the topic of discussion at a conference organised by the European Commission, to be held in Bratislava, Slovak Republic on 17 to 19 March.

The conference is particularly relevant as ethics was the only issue on which Research Ministers could not fully agree when they adopted a common position on the Sixth Framework programme (FP6) at the Research Council on 10 December 2001.

The event will focus on ethical issues in research, such as gene banking, the safety of nuclear power and animal welfare, which will be relevant for researchers and science administrations under FP6. Researchers participating in FP6 must be informed of laws, directives and international regulations, as they will be relevant for the review of ethically sensitive research projects submitted under FP6.

The conference aims to initiate a dialogue whilst creating or extending networks. Open discussions and round tables will provide an opportunity to discuss issues relating to ethics in science and research, and to examine how they are being handled by administrative structures. All 13 candidate countries will be represented in Bratislava, by both national experts and members of the national science ministries. The event will address how each of the candidate countries deals with ethics in research.

The conference will begin on 17 March with a free public event with prominent speakers such as journalist Alison Abbott from the science journal 'Nature'.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remarks :

Data Source Provider : European Commission
For further information, please contact:
Alexandra Bitusikova
Tel: +32 2 296 6313
Fax: +32 2 298 4694
E-mail: Alexandra.Bitusikova@cec.eu.int

INNOVATIVE REGIONS TO BE RECOGNISED AT EUROPEAN FORUM FOR INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES
(12/02/02)

Innovative regions will be rewarded at the third European forum for innovative enterprises, organised by the European Commission, in Stockholm, Sweden on 8 and 9 April 2002.

The forum will highlight the experience of PAXIS (pilot action of excellence of innovative start-ups) areas of excellence, of European cities and of internationally recognised innovation specialists, and will focus on local aspects of start-up creation.

The conference will address the opportunities that current economic developments are providing for start-ups, the ways in which universities can influence economic growth and what is needed to make cities favourable business environments.

Awards of excellence for innovative regions will be presented at the event and PAXIS projects and networks will be presented at an exhibition of video and interactive presentations.
 
Data Source Provider: European Commission
Contact Person: For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.thirdforum.org

ENTERPRISE GROUP SETS OUT VISION FOR BARCELONA SUMMIT
(11/02/02)

Conditions for innovative and entrepreneurial enterprises need to be improved if the European Union is to attain its goal of establishing the world's most competitive knowledge-based economy in 10 years. This was one of the conclusions of the first joint meeting of the two chambers of the European Commission's enterprise policy group, held in Brussels on 7 February.

The discussions focused on the obstacles to innovative entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) . These included regulatory complexity, dissuasive tax systems, rigid labour markets and lack of recognition of SMEs' social contribution. Members of the chambers recognised that EU policy needs to be more alert to the needs of these actors for the situation to improve.

In its evaluation of the progress in improving the EU business environment, members of the chambers emphasised that more internationalisation, further benefits from the internal market and tackling sustainable development issues were needed. The internal market was seen as providing benefits on goods, but an internal market services is still not complete.

The meeting aimed to assist in clarifying issues that will need to be tackled at the European Council in Barcelona in March.
 
Data Source Provider: European Commission
Contact Person: For further information, please consult the following web address:               http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/epg/index.htm 

Consultation on the FP6 and the IST Programme
(22/01/02)

The aim of this page is to keep you informed of the latest developments in IST in FP6. It provides a central access point to the most up to date information on IST in FP6 and includes latest developments and presentations.(more)

TRAIN-IT TO HOLD IST WORKSHOP
(12/02/02)

TRAIN-IT, which provides information to European entrepreneurs  working in information society technologies (IST)  on writing business plans, and is funded by the Fifth Framework programme's IST Programme, is holding an information day and workshop in Paris on 7 to 8 March.

The event will bring together TRAIN-IT alumni, IST participants and junior companies from Supelec, a leading engineering institute from France. Supelec focuses on R&D (research and development)  and promoting practical applications such as start up training and the fostering of 'junior companies'.

Representatives from the European Commission and information society experts will give presentations at the event, which will also include a matchmaking session with professionals from innovative ventures.

TRAIN-IT is also holding courses aiming to teach European Entrepreneurs working in information society technologies (IST) how to write an investment winning business plan. The next course dates are as follows:

- 24 February to 2 March 2002
- 21 to 27 April 2002
- 1 to 7 June 2002.
 

 
Data Source Provider: TRAIN-IT
Contact Person: For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.train-it.org

INNOVATIVE REGIONS TO BE RECOGNISED AT EUROPEAN FORUM FOR INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES
(12/02/02)

Innovative regions will be rewarded at the third European forum for innovative enterprises, organised by the European Commission, in Stockholm, Sweden on 8 and 9 April 2002.

The forum will highlight the experience of PAXIS (pilot action of excellence of innovative start-ups) areas of excellence, of European cities and of internationally recognised innovation specialists, and will focus on local aspects of start-up creation.

The conference will address the opportunities that current economic developments are providing for start-ups, the ways in which universities can influence economic growth and what is needed to make cities favourable business environments.

Awards of excellence for innovative regions will be presented at the event and PAXIS projects and networks will be presented at an exhibition of video and interactive presentations.
 
Data Source Provider: European Commission
Contact Person: For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.thirdforum.org

ENTERPRISE GROUP SETS OUT VISION FOR BARCELONA SUMMIT
(11/02/02)

Conditions for innovative and entrepreneurial enterprises need to be improved if the European Union is to attain its goal of establishing the world's most competitive knowledge-based economy in 10 years. This was one of the conclusions of the first joint meeting of the two chambers of the European Commission's enterprise policy group, held in Brussels on 7 February.

The discussions focused on the obstacles to innovative entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) . These included regulatory complexity, dissuasive tax systems, rigid labour markets and lack of recognition of SMEs' social contribution. Members of the chambers recognised that EU policy needs to be more alert to the needs of these actors for the situation to improve.

In its evaluation of the progress in improving the EU business environment, members of the chambers emphasised that more internationalisation, further benefits from the internal market and tackling sustainable development issues were needed. The internal market was seen as providing benefits on goods, but an internal market services is still not complete.

The meeting aimed to assist in clarifying issues that will need to be tackled at the European Council in Barcelona in March.
 
Data Source Provider: European Commission
Contact Person: For further information, please consult the following web address:               http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/epg/index.htm 

Consultation on the FP6 and the IST Programme
(22/01/02)

The aim of this page is to keep you informed of the latest developments in IST in FP6. It provides a central access point to the most up to date information on IST in FP6 and includes latest developments and presentations.(more)

TEN-Telecom call for proposals 2001/2
E.C.-DG Information Society -TEN-Telecom Programme
(20/12/01)

This call for proposals is open until 31 January 2002.
Since 10 December, the new homepage of the TEN-Telecom website (http://www.ten-telecom.org/) has made it easier for you to find information to help you prepare a proposal.
You may wish to visit the site again, where among other new features you will find examples of earlier, successful TEN-Telecom projects which provide concrete example of services which the programme can support.

IST 2001: "Techonologies Serving People"
(12/12/01)

The four volumes of this work are available for download on the links below in Acrobat (pdf) format:

IST Work Programme 2002
(10/12/01)

The IST Workprogramme 2002 is available for download in both Acrobat (pdf) or MS Word (doc) formats.

  • Click here for the Acrobat version;
  • or here for the MS Word version.

High-level Conference on eGovernment Applications
(13/07/01)

The Belgian Presidency and the European Commission will jointly organise a European conference on eGovernment applications, 29-30 November 2001, in Brussels. The aim of the conference is to illustrate eGovernment in practice and how citizens and businesses can reap real benefits from interactive... (more)

Work Programme 2002 DRAFT version 10.10.2001
(13/07/01)

  • Go here to view the 2002 draft version of the work programme.

Opportunity to Sponsor IST 2001 event
(23/10/01)

  • Click here to download the MS Word file containing information about this opportunity.

IST2001 Düsseldorf: Open Call for Tenders
(18/05/01)

B-Brussels: preparation, setting up and organization of the IST 2001 (Information Society Technologies) event to be held at the ''Congress Center Düsseldorf'' from 3.12.2001 to 5.12.2001... (more)

IST Programme Advisory Group / ISTAG
(20/03/01)

ISTAG provides the Commission with independent advice concerning the strategy, content and direction of research work to be carried out under the IST Programme. The following links will provide details of all FP5 Advisory groups, their mandate and membership.

ISTAG's work and recommendations have been guided by the "vision" that they formulated in their first meetings in 1999. Subsequent IST workprogrammes aim to underpin and implement this vision which is also embedded into the planning for IST in the Sixth Framework Programme. The following text is quoted from ISTAG's first report :-

"Start creating the ambient intelligence landscape for seamless delivery of services and applications in Europe relying also upon test-beds and open source software, develop user-friendliness, and develop and converge the networking infrastructure in Europe to world-class".

ISTAG Activities:

The table below provides fast links to "annual activities sections" of this page and the set of "reports and recommendations" that ISTAG has published.

ISTAG Index

Activities

Reports Dates Format Size
Activities in 2001

Members in 2001

"Integrated Projects in FP6" Feb/2001 acrobat 36KB
"SME's in FP6" Feb/2001 acrobat 23KB
"Scenarios for Ambient Intelligence in 2010-full" Feb/2001 acrobat 921KB
"Scenarios for Ambient Intelligence in 2010-graphics" Feb/2001 acrobat 36KB
Activities in 2000 "ISTAG recommendations for FP6" Dec/2000 acrobat 31KB
"Implementing the vision" June/2000 acrobat 122KB
Activities in 1999 "Orientations for WP2000 and beyond" Sept/1999 acrobat 57KB

Join the select European IST Prize Winners' Club

Make your IT product and your company benefit from the global fame of the European IST Prize. A total amount of  €700,000 is awarded:

  • Twenty Winner Prizes of  €5,000 each
  • Three Grand Prize Winners of  €200,000 each
  • European IST Prize Trophy Exhibition at the annual IST event

The application period for the 2002 European IST Prize is now open in 31 countries.
Closing date: 15 May 2001 (more)

The socio-economic dimension of the IST programme
  • This site offers a comprehensive view on the socio-economic dimension of the IST programme, through a collection of information and links on socio-economic aspects and activities within the IST programme and related actions... (more)
Euro-China 2002 Co-operation Forum on Information Society
IST KA1: "Systems and Services for the Citizen" 6th Call Information Day - Friday 2nd of February, 2001
IST Programme directorates
IST Workprogramme 2001
Framework Programme is not enough
Evaluation Report on EU research programmes
Flash Eurobarometre 80 - MIS Special Medecins Generalistes (in French/en Français)
A poll by EOS Gallup Europe on assignment of EC-DG Education and Culture - June 2000
"The Emerging European Health Telematics Industry" - Market Analysis (by Deloitte & Touche)
on assignment of European Commission-Directorate General Information Society - February 2000

This report results from a study realised on behalf of DG Information Society of the European Commission. This study had as objective to make an assessment (current status and short to medium time forecast) of the level of usage of IT&C products and services in the healthcare sector within Europe. The main orientation is to detect major technology trends and identify key user requirements in the healthcare sector as a basis for further community actions. The study focuses on all types of healthcare environments (hospital, healthcare professionals, home care and community services and healthcare management, ...).

For further information, contact:
Baudouin Lejeune (Deloitte & Touche) Email: blejeune@deloitte.com
Peter Fatelnig (European Commission DG Information Society

Spotlight on results of IST99 in Helsinki
Information from the 6th Concertation Meeting
European Commission: Preparing a Technology Business Plan 
eEurope 2002 Action Plan (Feira, 19/20 June 2000)
"eEurope" - Information Society for All 
Biomedicine and Health Publications now available on-line
IST Pages

Comments

WWW Address

CORDIS is the main web source for information on the IST Programme http://www.cordis.lu/ist/
I*M Europe pages relating to IST Key Action 3 http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/home.html
Note: For additional information on many aspects of non-IST Programmes, look in http://www.glinks.net, in the EU server http://europa.eu.int/ or the Information Society, G7 Projects, etc. http://europa.eu.int/information_society/index_en.htm/.

Non-IST Pages

References

WWW Address

Official of publications http://eur-op.eu.int/general/en/index.htm
Official journal http://eur-op.eu.int/general/en/a3.htm
TenTelecom http://www.ten-telecom.org/
Transport Telematics http://www.cordis.lu/telematics/tap_transport/home.html
Telematics for Libraries http://www.cordis.lu/libraries
Legal issues/Legal Advisory Board http://europa.eu.int/information_society/index_en.htm/legal/
Electronic Publishing
(Work area of the Directorate)
http://inf2.pira.co.uk/
Education and training
(Work area of the Directorate)
http://www.proacte.com/infocentre/ecinfo/index.htm
Information access and filtering
(Work area of the Directorate)
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/iaf/home.html

Useful Links

References

WWW Address

EUROPA http://europa.eu.int
ISPO http://europa.eu.int/ispo/welcome.html
Eurodicautom http://eurodic.ip.lu/cgi-bin/edicbin/EuroDicWWW.pl
Eurostat http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/

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