Find the most recent information on EU Funding activities in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by visiting our ICT in FP7 website, which covers ICT in the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) 2007 - 2013.
Focus on a limited set of Strategic Objectives
In order to ensure concentration of effort and critical mass, the Work Programme for 2003-2006 is focussed on a limited set of Strategic Objectives that are essential to realise the IST in FP6 goals. They have been defined to mobilise researchers Europe-wide and bring together the effort necessary to address the relevant challenges.
The Strategic Objectives have been selected following an intensive consultation process that included SWOT1 analyses exploring Europe's options at economic, social and technology levels.
They cover technology components, integrated systems and pull-through applications that have been carefully identified so as:
- to reinforce European strengths in areas where it has established industrial and technology leadership: this is the case for example in mobile and wireless communications, microelectronics and microsystems embedded systems, and applied IST for health, transport and business support tools.
- to overcome weaknesses in areas which are critical for European competitiveness and for addressing societal challenges: this is the case for the areas of generic software and computing systems, and in content development tools. The development of ambient intelligence provides an opportunity for Europe to reposition itself for the next generation of generic products and services building on a large user industry and service providers.
- to exploit new opportunities and respond to emerging needs: examples include advanced interaction techniques, new sensors and Microsystems, context-aware knowledge handling and Grid-based systems to solve complex problems in the areas of environment, health or engineering.
- to ensure the co-evolution of technology and applications so that technology advances are exploitable in innovative products and services. Particular attention will be paid to users' needs and to usability and accessibility of technologies and applications. The IST priority seeks to promote integrated approaches to address the vision. This is reflected in the definition and selection of the set of objectives as explained in the following paragraph.
In addition, IST in FP6 will support research to investigate and experiment with future visions and emerging technologies (FET) at the frontier of knowledge in the IST field. This will help new IST-related science and technology fields and communities to emerge, some of which will become strategic for economic and social development in the future and will feed into the mainstream IST activities in the future.
1 Europe's SWOT analyses in IST form part of the reports of ISTAG, Expressions of Interest and other workshops.