CORDIS Archive : ISTweb | Workprogramme 2002

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INFORMATION SOCIETY TECHNOLOGIES
Programme for Research, Technology Development and Demonstration under the Fifth Framework Programme

Work Programme 2002

3. DETAILED OBJECTIVES AND RTD PRIORITIES

3.2 KEY ACTION II - NEW METHODS OF WORK AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

"The aim of this work is to develop information society technologies to enable European workers and enterprises, in particular SMEs, to increase their competitiveness in the global marketplace, whilst at the same time improving the quality of the individual's working life. This will be done through the use of information society technologies to provide the flexibility to be free from many existing constraints on both working methods and organisation, including those imposed by distance, time and language. Specific attention will be paid to the social implications of new working methods, in particular their impact on equal opportunities and quality of life. Work will cover both the development and the trading of goods and services, in particular in the electronic marketplace, and takes into account the different requirements and capabilities of the individual worker, consumer and of businesses and organisations, and includes the related training. Considerations of the global context, in particular the rapid evolution of the marketplace, and socio-economic factors will guide the work, and the objective will be to develop and demonstrate world-best work and business practices, exploiting European strengths such as electronic payments, smart cards, mobile systems, software for business process modelling and enterprise management and consumer protection"

Objectives and priorities

Key Action II will reinforce European Union policies and priorities as set out in the Lisbon, Stockholm and Gothenburg summits, by ensuring that Europe plays a prominent role in shaping and capitalising on the next wave of work and business innovations.

Research priorities are based on the IST Programme's vision of exploring and validating novel solutions and practices for a global networked economy in which workers and organisations interact easily and dynamically through a secure and reliable ubiquitous ICT infrastructure.

The Action Lines for the Call for Proposals in 2002 aim to,

Encourage visionary high risk/long term research in all Key Action II areas;
Prepare the ground for future large-scale RTD activities under the next Framework Programme (FP6) by bringing together key actors to develop consensus on RTD challenges, their roadmaps, constituencies and implementation models;
Support activities to progress the eEurope and eEurope+ initiative in areas related to Key Action II.

In this fast-moving domain of IST it is important to maintain a long-term perspective so as to strengthen European leadership and to support activities likely to lead to exploitable RTD results in 5 to 7 years.

Action Lines in 2002

All Action Lines span Key Action II. They are complementary and open to international co-operation where there is clear European benefit. In addition, all Key Action II areas are open to RTD and thematic network proposals under the "Intelligent Manufacturing Initiative" (IMS)10. Work in Key Action II on IMS is complementary to the activities of Key Action I of the "Competitive and Sustainable Growth Programme " in the area of "Innovative Products, Processes and Organisation".

The following table provides an overview of the Action Lines that have been identified as priorities for the Call for Proposals in 2002. Proposals addressing interdisciplinary work that cuts across Action Lines are strongly encouraged.

Action Lines for 2002

II.1 Action Lines spanning KAII: Exploratory high risk/long term research; Strategic roadmaps for applied research; Addressing eEurope and eEurope+ objectives
II.2: Not included in WP2002
II.3: Not included in WP2002
II.4: Not included in WP2002

Action Line Descriptions

IST2002 - II.1.1 Exploratory high risk/long term research

Objectives:: To explore visionary and interdisciplinary high risk/long term research challenges that combine significant technological innovation with novel practices (individual or organisational) and advanced business and work models.
Focus:: Novel and emerging technologies for trust and confidence (addressing in particular pluggable encryption, Grid/Peer-to-Peer computing), (mobile) business computing, new organisational models, organisational knowledge management and e-work.; Proposed exploitation plans will be evaluated, taking into account the longer-term, exploratory nature of work to be undertaken under this Action Line.
Types of actions addressed:: Research and Development
Links with WP2001:: Continuation of Action Line II.1.4

IST2002 - II.1.2 Strategic roadmaps for applied research

Objectives:

To prepare the ground for RTD activities beyond FP5 by investigating future research challenges, roadmaps and associated implementation models in the domain of e-business and e-work. This will require networking or the creation of constituencies of RTD stakeholders including researchers from industry and academia, technology providers, business and public administration end users, consumer organisations, policymakers, standardisation bodies, etc. Challenges may be identified in any of the following areas,

Technologies for key security challenges, such as basic security mechanisms, advanced cryptography, privacy enhancing technologies, technologies to handle digital assets, technologies for dependability to support business functions in dynamic and mobile environments and security in Grid/Peer-to-Peer applications;
Future e-work systems, such as new workplace concepts incorporating innovative technologies to facilitate creativity and collaboration, to increase resource-use efficiency and to extend work opportunities to all;
Organisations and e-business, e.g. technologies to support organisational process management and decision-making, organisational agility and co-operation and workflow in highly dynamic and mobile networks of businesses and public administrations;
Organisational knowledge management including context- and location-sensitive solutions for acquisition, sharing, trading, and delivery of knowledge to support worker and business innovation and entrepreneurship;
Next generation electronic and mobile commerce, including dynamic market-driven value creation models, technologies and solutions for the development of highly customised products and services, and e-market mediation systems;
Models and scenarios to shape future policies for a knowledge-based economy; technology development and deployment strategies, demand for new skills, competencies and associated training requirements; social and economic research on the transition to a knowledge-based economy, including support for achieving the social objectives of the Lisbon, Stockholm and Gothenburg strategies

Focus:

Activities will focus on the following tasks,

Building and strengthening RTD communities that bring together research, business and user organisations with the aim of developing shared visions, scenarios and objectives and facilitating the integration of European research resources to address major future business and work challenges;
Identifying research tasks for both objective-driven and exploratory research. Work should also help to identify and explore the set of complementary activities required to improve RTD impact. These include links to other research frameworks, innovation and take-up actions, training and mobility, standardisation, dissemination activities and the integration of international efforts.

Work will involve identifying the key actors in the field, stimulating interest and achieving broad-based consensus on the way forward to meet the research challenges. It could reinforce existing communities (e.g. clusters of IST research projects, national or industrial initiatives), or aim to build new constituencies. Work is expected to last up to 15 months.

Types of actions addressed:

Accompanying Measures (excluding take-up), Thematic Networks

Links with WP2001:

New Action Line

IST2002 - II.1.3 Addressing eEurope and eEurope+ objectives

Objective:

To support the broad adoption of IST solutions for e-commerce and e-work, including the security of on-line transactions, greater flexibility in work organisation and better access to e-work facilities for local and virtual communities, and for SMEs, thus contributing to the realisation of eEurope and eEurope+ objectives.

Focus:

Best practice actions for trust, security, e-work, organisational knowledge management and process improvement (private and public);
Best practice actions and trials aiming at the integration of European Early Warning Systems for network and information security.
Demonstrations of cross-border interoperable security solutions, contracting, invoicing, taxation, dispute resolution, intellectual property rights, on-line services, accounting and privacy-enhancing applications;
Helping SMEs to use Information Society technologies ("GoDigital");
Encouraging the participation of Accession States (eEurope+).

Types of actions addressed:

Thematic Networks, Demonstrations, Trials, Best practice and other non Take-up Accompanying Measures

Links with WP2001:

New Action Line