ACTIVITIES :: ICT PSP :: Running Activities
Running Activities and Projects
Between 2007 and 2010, the European Commission has funded 132 projects within the CIP ICT PSP strategic priorities, which have addressed themes such as: efficient and interoperable eGovernment services; user-friendly administrations; accessibility; ageing; sustainable and interoperable health services; energy efficiency and sustainability in urban areas; ICT for a low carbon economy and smart mobility; digital libraries; multilingual web; public sector information; Internet evolution and security; open innovation and services in "smart" cities.
The CIP ICT PSP objectives are pursued by three implementation instruments:
Pilot A: Building on initiatives in Member States or associated countries to ensure the EU-wide interoperability of ICT-based solutions. The large-scale pilot projects fall into this category and embrace at least six Member States, with potential for further extension to all Member States;
Pilot B (operational pilots): Stimulating the uptake of innovative ICT based services and products. Participants are public authorities, service providers, industrial stakeholders and users;
Thematic Networks: Providing a forum for stakeholders for experience exchange and consensus building on ICT policy implementation.
Although a comprehensive impact assessment will be done at projects completion, results so far have shown a number of success stories and the further enlargement of some large scale pilot projects.
The high and increasing interest shown by relevant stakeholders – especially public authorities in different EU countries, who actively engaged in pilot projects - is a fundamental step towards the solution of interoperability issues and the deployment of pan-EU services for the benefits of businesses and citizens.
Projects build on existing technical solutions and infrastructures, interlinking systems of Member States so that they can “talk to each other”. This contributes to strengthen the internal market and boost Europe's competitiveness through a bottom‑up approach.
The large-scale pilot projects STORK, PEPPOL, SPOCS, and epSOS are four examples of major initiatives set up over the last years within this scope: STORK aims at making the cross-border use of electronic identification possible, allowing citizens and businesses to access eGovernment services in any Member State they live in or travel to; PEPPOL will make it easier for companies to bid for public sector contracts anywhere in the EU in a simpler and more efficient way; SPOCS sets up national points of single contacts, i.e. "one-stop shops" to facilitate contacts between businesses and national public administrations and support the completion of administrative procedures online; ePSOS aims at making it easier for people to receive medical assistance anywhere in the EU by removing linguistic, administrative and technical barriers.
eHealth & eGovernment Large Scale Pilots video animations
The capability of the CIP ICT PSP to attract a wide range of users and stakeholders is one of the main drivers to remove hurdles and create the critical mass needed to stimulate and speed-up the uptake of innovative ICT-based services and products. This is, for example, the case of the pilot projects on ICT for Ageing Well - which tackle the issues related to demographic change by helping the elderly to live independently and play an active role in society – and on ICT for Energy Efficiency, which promote innovative ICT solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The actions developed by the CIP ICT PSP have a relevant regional component, and thus are strictly coordinated with the Structural Funds, particularly the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).