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IT for Satellite Communications | "Accelerating the development of personal and broadband satellite communication systems and services" |
Introduction | Objectives | Scope | Topics | Organisation of work | Coordination with ACTS Call and ESA | Budget | Submitting a proposal: Delivery - Deadlines - Receipt form - Submitting to other programmes | Further information | Space Technologies Workshop at European IT Conference, EITC 97 | [Esprit Call of 16 September] [Work-Programme] [Information Package] [Esprit home page]
This document introduces procedures and rules for preparing proposals addressing Information Technologies for Satellite Communications in the Esprit programme's Call for Proposals of 16 September 1997. The proposals can address the following R&D; domains and areas:
This document describes the objectives, scope and topics of the proposals, and gives details of how to submit proposals. For all other information, please refer to the following Specific Information Documents:
| Domain | Specific Information Document |
| Software Technologies | Single-step Evaluation |
| Technologies for Components and Subsystems | Two-step Evaluation |
| Multimedia Systems | Two-step Evaluation |
| Open Microprocessor Systems Initiative | Single-step Evaluation |
| High-Performance Computing and Networking | Two-step Evaluation |
Please note that proposals under different domains fall under different evaluation schemes (single-step and two-step), which are described in these two Specific Information Documents. The proposal preparation, proposal format and the applied evaluation and selection criteria are explained in detail in these documents. The rules for participation are identical in both cases, and can be found in both documents.
Proposers who are new to Esprit are advised to refer first to the Introduction for Proposers and the 1997 Work-Programme.
Over the last three years, communication satellites have stepped out from their relatively small role of providing communications infrastructure for telephony and TV broadcasting, and emerged as the ideal medium for a host of new communications services required by the Information Society. What drives these markets now is entertainment and voice, what will drive them in the future is data. Increasingly, space-based infrastructures will meet key user requirements such as personal mobility, access to powerful, high-capacity broadband evolution of Internet, fast response times and global connectivity. Satellite Personal Communications Services (S-PCS) systems will offer voice, low data rate and fax services to small, inexpensive pocket size terminals from a global constellation of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite constellations. The advanced broadband multimedia satellite systems on geostationary (GEO) or LEO orbits with very high capacity allow for high rate direct user access with interactive low cost user terminals, and are expected to play an important role when advanced Internet-like services will be launched.
Europe has to significantly improve its role in provision of the global satellite communication systems, services and applications. Considering the key role of R&D; in the sector, and as a part of the co-ordinated European effort Esprit is initiating R&D; actions which aim at the research and development of generic (information) technologies which are necessary for the building of advanced satellite-based communications systems, services and applications. The objective of this call on Information Technologies for Satellite Communications is to:
It has to be emphasised that even though satellite (onboard) technologies are key technologies in this area, the main market segments and consequently the focus of this call is in the terrestrial component, ground systems , software and terminals, and in services and applications, especially in broadband multimedia services. The initiated R&D; actions are also expected to benefit other areas in space, notably earth observation from space and satellite navigation and positioning.
Work proposed in response to this call must:
The overall scope of Esprit, the IT Programme, is explained in the 1997 Work-Programme. In this Call a certain number of R&D; tasks have been opened for proposals in the areas which are relevant for satellite communications. The proposed research and development or demonstration work must relate to one or more of these tasks:
The general topic of this call is research, development and demonstration of generic information technologies which are required for the implementation of future innovative satellite personal communications systems and broadband satellite systems, with special focus on the ground segment, design and management tools and software, terminals and wideband multimedia services. Below is a short list of the topics which the proposal can address. The list is indicative; it is neither exhaustive nor will all technical areas necessarily be tackled. Specific topics may include the following:
| ST: Area 1, Software-Intensive Systems Engineering |
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TCS: Area 1, Semiconductor Components and Subsystems |
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MS: Area 1, Multimedia Technology |
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OMI: Area 2, System Integration and Applications |
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HPCN: Area 1, Simulation |
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HPCN: Area 4, Networked Multisite Applications |
The proposed work must be application- and market-driven, work towards concrete results, and from the outset have clear routes to exploitation. Consortia should be compact and comprise the minimum number of partners necessary to execute the work. Unnecessary duplication of skills and activities should be avoided.
Applications to this call should be targeted R&D; proposals that comprise activities which focus on the tasks listed above. Results should be commercially exploitable within a 3-5 year time frame. Proposers should clearly indicate the expected increment vis-à-vis the prevailing state-of-the-art and plans for commercial exploitation should be included in the proposal. Precise evaluation criteria are given in the two Specific Information Documents.
R&D; work could be complemented by demonstration work, including trial deployment of systems in an industrial or commercial context. This could, if not the major part of the work, be presented together with the R&D; in one proposal.
Proposers should prepare their proposals in accordance with the structural recommendations and evaluation criteria given in section 3 of the above-mentioned Specific Information Documents. All the necessary administration forms required to submit a proposal are provided in the accompanying annexes or are available on diskettes or as downloadable software.
This Esprit call will be coordinated at the evaluation level with the recently published ACTS call (OJ No C 183, 17.6.1997, p. 22), which is addressing Satellite Communications.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning the ARTES Element 3 programme, which is designed to lead into commercial initiatives in the area of interactive, user-oriented communication by satellite. A Call for Ideas for this programme has been published, with tender actions planned in late 1997. The European Commission and the European Space Agency are currently examining the modalities for establishing a coordination group for satellite multimedia activities.
The indicative budgetary allocation for information technologies for satellite communications in this call is up to 10 million ECU.
Each proposal must have a coordinating proposer (coordinator), and this section of the information package is primarily directed to this individual. Normally, the coordinator will become the project coordinator, if the proposal is ultimately successful.
Proposals should be submitted by you, the coordinator, and you will be responsible for liaison with the Commission.
You should submit one full original of each proposal plus 6 copies. This includes the forms and any useful information you choose to include, as long as it is relevant and limited in length.
It is your responsibility to assemble the proposal and you should submit it in one parcel.
It is also your responsibility to ensure that the proposal is delivered at the appropriate address before expiration of the deadline.
Note: For the 16 September 1997 call, the preferred method of submission for all short proposals (first-step proposals in the two-step evaluation scheme) in all relevant domains is via the electronic submission procedure.
Your proposal should be sent by courier or postal services or delivered by hand to:
IT Programme Office
Boulevard du Souverain, 191-197
B-1160 Brussels
Belgium
You must clearly mark on the parcel:
Confidential: Proposal for the programme for
RTD in Information Technologies (Esprit)
Do not send proposals by fax. Do not announce by fax or phone that the proposals are in the mail. Faxes and phone calls of this nature hinder the operation of the Commission in handling proposals, and will not be acknowledged. Until two weeks have elapsed, do not phone or fax to enquire whether your proposal has been received.
Do not send or deliver your proposal to Esprit Commission Offices. This would create considerable delays. The only correct address is the one mentioned above.
The deadline for submission of the proposal is 16 December 1997. The precise information is given in the call and should be carefully checked and adhered to. Proposals which are received after the deadline are not eligible.
The deadline for submission of the short proposal is 16 October 1997. The precise information is given in the call and should be carefully checked and adhered to. Proposals which are received after the deadline are not eligible.
Normally proposers invited to submit a full proposal will have two months to prepare the full proposal. Deadlines will be indicated in the invitation letter.
You should include - in the parcel in which the proposal is delivered - a separate envelope containing the official 'Acknowledgement of Receipt' form as given in the Annex. On this you - the coordinator - must put your organisation's name and address and the title of the proposed project. This will ensure that the acknowledgement is returned to you correctly addressed.
Before it is returned, however, the Commission's reception staff will record the date of receipt and a unique reference number on the form. This reference number must be used in all subsequent correspondence relating to the proposal.
You should ensure that all proposers are given the proposal reference number and use it in all contacts with the Commission.
If you do not receive an 'Acknowledgement of receipt' within two weeks after the closing date of the Call, or the date of submission in case of a continuous Call, you should send a fax to the IT Programme Office (fax: + 32-2-663-7200), indicating the acronym, title, domain, type of action and name of coordinator. You will receive an answer by fax within one week. You are strongly advised to retain proof of dispatch if the proposal is mailed or sent by courier.
You are advised to submit proposals only once and to not send proposals which are essentially the same to different domains of the Esprit programme or to different programmes.
If the proposal is related to other Esprit domains or to other Community programmes, you are advised to indicate this in the proposal itself or in an attached covering letter.
In any case, you should give details on similar proposals on form 1a and sign the declaration.
The IT programme will take your comments in account and when appropriate involve the other domains or other programmes in the evaluation.
The IT programme reserves the right to redirect a proposal to another domain than that indicated by the proposers or to another programme if Commission staff or evaluators indicate that that would be more appropriate
If there are questions specifically related to the objectives and scope of the call, please contact, preferably by e-mail:
Juhani Jaaskelainen
European Commission
Directorate General III - Industry
Rue de la Loi 200 (N105 6/55)
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
tel +32-2-296-5459 - fax +32-2-296-8390
juhani.jaaskelainen@dg3.cec.be
Introduction | Objectives | Scope | Topics | Organisation of work | Coordination with ACTS Call and ESA | Budget | Submitting a proposal: Delivery - Deadlines - Receipt form - Submitting to other programmes | Further information | Space Technologies Workshop at European IT Conference, EITC 97 | [Esprit Call of 16 September] [Work-Programme] [Information Package] [Esprit home page]
This document is located at /esprit/src/satcomm.htm
It was last updated on 16 September 1997, and is maintained by juhani.jaaskelainen@dg3.cec.be