eMobility proposes ICT-Based Innovation for a Low Carbon Economy
In view of the threats posed by the disruption of energy supply and climate change, the world needs to transform to a much lower-carbon economy and gain more independence in the field of energy supply. Large-scale substitution of fossil fuels by renewable resources may be possible beyond 2020 but before that carbon emissions' cuts are more likely to come from energy efficiency gains.
ICT equipment and services can certainly be more energy efficient. ICT energy-use must be cut, and ICTs must become a key enabler of more efficient energy use across society. Worldwide, the ICT sector has the most powerful civil research and innovation capacity in the world today. Recent analyses indicate that ICT enabled improvements in energy efficiency can reduce carbon emissions by five-times as much as the ICT footprint itself.

To read more:
http://www.emobility.eu.org/documents/Newsletter/Newsletter102008_web.pdf

The 'Marie Curie Actions' have long been one of the most popular and appreciated features of the EU Framework Programmes for Research. They have developed over time from a pure mobility fellowships programme to a programme dedicated to stimulating researchers' career development.
There is potential in the Marie Curie schemes to support the activities of ETPs through funding the training of researchers in the private sector. An example is the Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) scheme, that promotes partnerships between the public sector (universities, research institutes, NGOs) and the private sector (including SMEs, manufacturing and other industries), based on a common research project and aiming to increase skills exchange between the two sectors. No limitations as to the area of research are imposed on participants and the duration of funding of the selected proposals is of 3-4 years.

To read more:
Fostering collaborative research projects between academic institution and commercial companies in Europe: Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)
Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways
Marie Curie Actions Guide
Initial Training Networks (ITN)

The Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potočnik, 70 representatives of European Technology Platforms (ETPs) and 30 representatives of Commission departments participated in the ninth seminar of ETP industrial leaders. The objectives of the seminar were to:

- present and discuss the conclusions and recommendations of the ETP evaluation study;
- discuss views on the way ahead for ETPs;
- present and discuss the evolving "ERA Vision 2020" and the status of the five ERA initiatives.

To read more:
http://cordis.europa.eu/technology-platforms/seminar_en.html

Most ETP members would repeat the experience, according to an external evaluation of the achievements of ETPs commissioned by the European Commission
The survey collected information from almost 1000 respondents across all ETPs. The objective was to describe how ETPs operate and how they have developed over the last few years, identifying their outputs and assessing their potential and the obstacles they may face. The study shows that ETPs have been efficient in defining priorities but still need to make progress in mobilising research investment. Further recommendations for the future were also made.

To read more:
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/technology-platforms/docs/evaluation-etps.pdf

ETP Leaders were reminded by the Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potočnik on September 30th that European Technology Platforms must involve a broad range of stakeholders in defining and implementing their Strategic Research Agendas in order to be effective. Platforms need to involve researchers, industry and final users to speak with one voice about how research can contribute to solve some of our more urgent challenges.

To read more:
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/technology-platforms/docs/etp_web_061114_en.pdf

In order to make the European chemical industry more competitive in the long-run, SusChem has established an education database with an objective to attract and retain the best students from school through to higher education. Sustainable chemistry provides an opportunity to invigorate interest in careers in chemistry by highlighting how chemistry contributes to a sustainable future. Information posted on the website concentrates on educational programmes and activities in the field of sustainable chemistry within the European Union. The database is regularly updated with information on projects but is also meant to foster collaboration between participants. This online education resource today covers Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The objective is to extend it to all Member States.

To read more:
http://learning.suschem.org/

NEM R&D Clusters

The Networked and Electronic Media ETP has created 4 thematic 'clusters' within the platform to facilitate networking and project creation. Ideas and results from the activities of these clusters will also be used to map interests and views of the NEM community on future R&D challenges in the NEM area. Furthermore, the activities of NEM Clusters should increase the visibility and strength of the NEM Initiative improving its impact on relevant European and national organisations and bodies.

To read more:
http://www.nem-initiative.org/public/community/Clusters/Clusters.asp

The Future of Internet Services at NESSI Service Wave 2008 conference

The Networked European Software and Services ETP has announced the 2008 edition of its ServiceWave conference, aimed at establishing the premier European forum for researchers, educators and industrial practitioners in Software Services (or the “Future of the Internet of Services”) and related underlying network technologies.
ServiceWave fosters the creation of cross-community scientific excellence by gathering industrial and academic experts from various disciplines such as business process management, distributed systems, computer networks, wireless & mobile communication networks, grid computing, networking, service science and software engineering.
ServiceWave 2008 is organised by NESSI in cooperation with other ETPs: eMobility, EPoSS, ISI and NEM, Spanish Technology Platform INES, Networks of Excellence CoreGrid and S-Cube, Support actions Eiffel, 4NEM and NESSI 2010, ICSOC, the International Conference on Service Oriented Computing.

To read more:
http://www.nessi-europe.eu/Nessi/

The European Commission is aiming at establishing the European Cluster Policy Group, the objective of which will be to share intelligence about cluster policies in view to further explore how to better assist Member States in supporting the emergence of world-class clusters in the EU. The Group is meant to be composed of a maximum of 20 high-level members with experience and competence in the field of competitiveness and innovation policies representing high level policy makers, businesses and research and higher education institutions.

To read more:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:275:0017:0018:EN:PDF
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:288:0007:0011:EN:PDF
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/innovation/index_en.htm

The European Year of Creativity aims to exploit and promote creative and innovative approaches in different domains of human activity and at all levels. While education and culture will be at the centre of the Year, it feeds into many other policy areas, such as enterprise, information society, employment or regional policy.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1389&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the EU's flagship initiative for boosting innovation in Europe, marks the launch of its activities with the first meeting of its recently appointed Governing Board. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology aims to foster excellence in European innovation and to provide new solutions for major challenges, such as climate change, renewable energies or the next generation of information and communication technologies.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1318&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

R&D investment by EU companies has increased by 8.8% compared to the increased R&D investment by US companies of 8.6%, according to the 2008 edition of the European Commission's annual Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard. After many years in which the growth of R&D investment by EU companies lagged behind US companies, this year's Scoreboard shows that the R&D investment growth of EU companies has been higher than that of US companies. It also outpaces that of Japanese companies for the third straight year. Also, this is the fifth year running in which the growth rate by EU companies has beaten the previous year's figure.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1504&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu/research/scoreboard_2008.htm

The European Commission adopted a Communication on a new industrial property rights strategy for Europe. Together with the creation of a Community patent and integrated patent jurisdiction, the Communication outlines a number of actions as the keystone to maintain a high quality industrial property rights system for the EU in the 21st century. It sets out to support inventors in making informed choices on the protection of their industrial property rights and calls for robust enforcement against counterfeiting and piracy. The Communication also aims to ensure that industrial property rights in Europe are of high quality and that they are accessible to all innovators, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1157&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The European Commission called on governments to jointly develop a strategy for international cooperation in science and technology. It proposed a strategic framework for jointly strengthening science and technology cooperation with non-EU countries, notably in the field of Information and Communication Technologies where Europe is a strong exporter. The Commission's objective is to contribute to sustainable development worldwide while at the same time improving Europe’s competitiveness in science and technology. The Commission invites Member States to define together, rather than in isolation, priority research and technology areas where a coherent EU effort would have more impact.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1395&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Nobuo Tanaka presented the main findings of IEA Review of the EU's Energy Policy. This is the first time that the IEA has made an in-depth analysis of European Energy Policy. The Review strongly endorses the broad outlines of the Commission's energy proposals tabled during the last year. It specifically praises the coherent EU energy and climate change approach and the Commission's market liberalisation package for electricity and gas. The Review encourages the Commission to pursue ownership unbundling of networks from supply and generation. It also makes important recommendations concerning the need to increase research funding and establish a more coherent external energy policy with a stronger role for the EU institutions.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1293&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

In a response to the 'Aho report', the most comprehensive evaluation of EU ICT research yet, looking beyond the management of research to evaluate its impact on innovation, the Commission called for support. The report highlighted that EU research could be of greater benefit for European competitiveness by involving and supporting high growth companies and providing better links between research and venture capital. The Commission, which has launched several initiatives to involve leading companies in research, is committed to making the information and communications technology (ICT) research it supports more effective in terms of delivering business opportunities. It is also launching a public consultation that will feed into proposals to this end in early 2009.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1288&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

In search of the best strategies to boost Europe's leadership in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) research and innovation in the next decade, the European Commission launched a public consultation. Contributions from industry, ICT experts, policy-makers and the wider public will be fed into a new strategy for ICT research and innovation, to be unveiled next year. The aim is to put European ICT industry, especially SMEs, to the fore of the race for global competitiveness. The public consultation is open until 7 November 2008.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1287&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Fast and reliable access to research results, especially via the Internet, can drive innovation, advance scientific discovery and support the development of a strong knowledge-based economy. The European Commission wants to ensure that the results of the research it funds under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) with more than € 50 billion from 2007 - 2013 are disseminated as widely and effectively as possible to guarantee maximum exploitation and impact in the world of researchers and beyond. The Commission launched a pilot project that will give unrestricted online access to EU-funded research results, primarily research articles published in peer reviewed journals, after an embargo period of between 6 and 12 months. The pilot will cover around 20% of the FP7 programme budget in areas such as health, energy, environment, social sciences and information and communication technologies.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1262&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=enhttp://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&id=1680

The Commission launched the 'Practical Guide to EU funding opportunities for Research and Innovation' to help all stakeholders to find their way into the different existing EU funding. Central to the realisation of the goals of the Lisbon Agenda is the need to promote the knowledge economy, in particular through research, technological development and innovation (RTDI). EU support for RTDI is provided mainly through the 7th Research Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the Structural & Cohesion Funds. If their impact is to be maximised, it is essential that these sources of funding are used in a coherent way.

To read more:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1296&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en