Commission announces call for tender for study on access to national RTD information
The Information Society DG of the European Commission has announced a call for tenders for a feasibility study on facilitating access to information on national research programmes, activities and policies in the area of information society technologies, in preparation for the framework programme 2002 to 2006 (FP6). Information on national research, technology and development (RTD) activities in the area of information society technologies (IST) is often difficult the find on the Internet and inconsistent across countries. The main objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of facilitating access to information on national research programmes, activities and policies in the area of IST from one entry point. In this context the study would contribute to the exchange of information between Member States and the European level and thus can be seen as a first step towards strengthening the coordination between national activities and European Union activities in the context of the European research area (ERA). The study specifically links in with chapter 2 'Strengthening the foundations of the European research area' of the proposal 'Concerning the specific programmes implementing the Framework Programme 2002-2006 of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities' (COM (2001) 279 final). The study will analyse web sites at a national level with regard to the available and missing information on IST RTD programmes, activities and policies and describe the approach, the methodology and the tools to index and retrieve this information from one entry point. A demonstration of a prototype system which allows for the verification and demonstration of the recommended methodology and tools in a realistic data environment will be part of this study.For further information, please contact: European Commission Directorate-General information Society Directorate F Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200 B-1049 Brussels Tel: +32-2-299 4346 Fax +32-2-299 4346