CORDIS EXPRESS

Information and communication technologies (ICT) is the theme that runs throughout this week‘s edition of CORDIS Express. In our top news story we hear from the recently established European Commission‘s Taskforce on ICT competitiveness and uptake, who published a report urging for an increase in research and development (R&D;) spending in the ICT sector.

More R&D; investment needed to boost ICT industry's competitiveness, says report

Europe needs to invest more in research and development (R&D) to ensure its future competitive role in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, according to a report published by European Commission's Task Force on ICT competitiveness and uptake. Given that ICT relies on R&D more than any other industrial sector, the authors of the report suggest actions to capitalise on existing funding resources, while also stimulating further investment. They range from introducing tax incentive schemes to creating a venture capital friendly environment.

Bringing ICT benefits to the market

Better disseminating the results of information and communication technologies (ICT) research was the subject of a recently held CORDIS workshop. Bringing together some of the main stakeholders, the event explored the complex nature of communicating ICT research, highlighting in particular the difficulties encountered by journalists writing about the matter, and those of project consortia when trying to select the right media channel to spread the word about their work. It also suggested a number of possible media solutions that could be used in this communication process.

University association calls for increase in public procurement budgets for R&D;

Member States should increase the proportion spent on research and development (R&D;) in their public procurement budgets, a new report by the League of European Research Universities (LERU) has argued. In 2004, governments across Europe spent in excess of €170 billion on public procurement. But only €1.64 billion of this went towards procuring R&D.; The report makes the case that by increasing the R&D; budget to purchase contracts, Member States would encourage firms to draw on the university research base, and boost the growth of knowledge-intensive companies.

Stakeholders release declaration on innovation

Innovation professionals attending the Europe Innova conference in Spain this week released a list of priority actions they believe are needed to ensure the EU’s competitiveness. Many of the actions echo priorities already identified by the EU, such as the importance of education, better protection of intellectual property and better links between research and industry. The professionals also call for more help for SMEs to get involved in research and technology and a more support for eco-innovation in Europe.

Commission announces date for first FP7 calls

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 gave its green light on 30 November), the European Commission has announced 22 December as the day when the first calls for proposals will open.

Tyre sensor to warn drivers of dangerous conditions

Researchers from Germany and Luxembourg have designed a new sensor for tyres that could warn drivers of dangerous driving conditions or risks due to poor tyre maintenance. What makes the sensor so interesting is that it can detect and monitor real-time tyre performance, including friction between the tyre and icy roads. The project partners believe that the sensor will be much in demand, and predict an initial market of 186 million tyres in Europe.

ICT standardisation and research - towards FP7

A conference entitled 'ICT standardization and research - towards FP7' will take place on 17 January in Brussels, Belgium. The conference brings together stakeholders involved in the research and standards interfacing process. Senior representatives from both the information and communication technologies (ICT) research and standards communities, as well as from the European Commission, will address topics such as interfaces between research and standardisation in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), and the role of European Technology Platforms (ETPs).

Reding to open information and communication sciences conference

A conference entitled 'Information and communication sciences, a driving force for European development' will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 20 December. EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding will open the event, which will discuss issues such as the challenges for information and communication sciences and technology, links between research, innovation and technology transfer, and models for competitiveness.

Data gathering for industrial R&D; scoreboard

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a call for tenders for company data gathering and structuring for the EU Industrial research and development (R&D;) Investment Scoreboards. The contract involves collecting the financial data of companies which invest the most in R&D;: the top 1,000 companies investing in R&D; with headquarters registered in the EU Member States, and the top 1,000 companies with headquarters registered outside the EU Member States.

Online and mobile business applications

Neodesy is a small Cypriot company engaged in the research and development of business applications using internet and mobile technologies. Neodesy’s areas of expertise include web and mobile applications in a range of fields, java, open source, telecommunications, advanced numerical methods, financial engineering and optoelectronics. Neodesy is looking for partners for joint research projects.

Distant-talking interfaces for control of interactive TV

Partners in the DICIT project are working on a way for people to interact with their television sets with their voices rather than a remote control. The plan is for a device that recognises commands spoken by multiple users, eevn in the presence of background noise and TV surround audio. The partners also hope to develop an architecture and technical components that make the technologies transferrable to other domains, for example in smart-homes, surveillance, security, surgical theatres and games.

Extracting cleaner-burning fuel from natural gas

The EU-funded LTCPO-GTL project looked to improve the gas-to-liquid fuel formation process to transform natural gas into a low-emission liquid fuel. A by-product of the process is water, and the team developed a special membrane to remove excess water. Their new mircoporous ceramic membrane is extremely effective and outperforms polymeric membranes currently on the market. The partners believe it could prove useful in a range of dewatering situations and are looking for partners interested in further research or development support.

Honey Royale

Although the latest incarnation of James Bond - that suave British spy - has been a veritable box office hit, there is a rumour buzzing about that Daniel Craig may be asked to stand down in the next 007 movie in favour of more fearless special agent: Bumblebee, James Bumblebee...