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.
2003-2004 Work Programme
2.3.4 Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
FET complements the other objectives of IST with research from a more visionary and exploratory perspective. Specifically, FET's purpose is to help new IST-related science and technology fields to emerge and mature, some of which will become strategic for economic and social development in the future. The research typically supported by FET is of a long-term nature and involves high risks that are compensated by the promise of major advances and large potential impact. It aims at opening up new possibilities and setting trends for future research programmes, making FET a 'nursery' of novel research ideas and the IST's pathfinder activity.
FET uses two complementary approaches: one pro-active, the other receptive and open:
- The pro-active scheme has a strategic character, setting the agenda for a limited number of specific areas that hold particular promise for the future.
- The open scheme employs the inverse approach - it is open, at any time, to the broadest possible spectrum of ideas as they come directly 'from the roots'.
Information on FET is provided at the web site.