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.
Industry forum on Software, Services and Systems
Objectives
The NESSI (Networked European Software and Services Initiative) Technology Platform is a public/private partnership that aims to develop and implement a common European strategy for achieving global leadership in software and services.
NESSI addresses European research in services architectures and software infrastructures including Grids and will develop technologies, strategies and deployment policies fostering new, open, industrial solutions and societal applications that enhance the safety, security and well-being of citizens.
It was officially launched on the 7th of September 2005, in the presence of Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and executives of leading technology-focused companies.
The first NESSI open forum (PDF, 13MB) took place on the 26th of January in Brussels.
Technology Platforms are expected to play a major role in mobilising Europe's research, technological development and innovation efforts. They bring together the key stakeholders (industry, national and European public authorities, the academic community, the financial community, consumers and users) around a common vision for the development of the technologies concerned. Their primary objectives are the definition of Strategic Research Agendas for the medium to long-term and the establishment of the necessary, effective public-private partnerships for their implementation.
Strategic importance of Software, Services and Systems
Software and services have become a strategic capability for industry and society. Advances in Web services, Grid technologies Software and communication networks are changing the Internet, wireless and audiovisual worlds into a worldwide platform for building and delivering distributed applications, services and information.
Today, this trend is emerging as a market for "on-demand services" that build on web services, Grid technologies and SOAS. This will have a profound effect on existing IT business models. Rather than customers having to adapt their processes to make use of off-the-shelf software, they will be able to procure, relatively cheaply, tailored systems that directly support their work and that can evolve in step with their businesses.
At stake here is the European market for IT services currently worth 135 B? annually. The services are enabled by software which is important in its own right as a significant market.
A joint industrial strategy
The combination of the growing demand for software and services, and the technological and economic forces affecting the industry represent a huge opportunity for a breakthrough in the software and services sector if Europe joins forces around a common strategy. Therefore a group of 13 leading companies decided to explore the possibilities for addressing issues of common interest that will ensure a more competitive position for the European software and services industry in the future. The discussions led to the creation of a European Technology Platform on software and services, NESSI (Networked European Software and Services Initiative), and the formulation of a vision document (PDF) identifying the needs for research, standards and possible policies in this area.
NESSI Strategic Research Agenda
NESSI is preparing a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for the software and services sector. This document will be made up of three volumes and further information on it, as well as drafts of related documents can be accessed on this page on the NESSI website .