Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UNLOCK-CEI (Unlocking the Cloud Edge IoT demand potential in Europe)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-06-01 bis 2023-11-30
UNLOCK-CEI’s aims to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of the Cloud-to-Edge-IoT (CEI) computing continuum in Europe by focusing on the demand-side drivers and challenges to identify technology-driven innovation and business opportunities driving demand value chains. The project represents the CEI demand constituency, provides insights and guidance to the Horizon Europe R&D projects in this domain, and contributes to a proactive dialogue with the supply stakeholders to encourage the development of an open European CEI ecosystem. It focuses on emerging value chains where investment is needed to foster the deployment of the Cloud-to-Edge-IoT continuum through the forthcoming CEI large-scale pilots. UNLOCK-CEI carries out a systematic assessment of the state of the open European CEI ecosystem and develops CEI market dynamics as well as future market scenarios and related market pathways for the development of the open European CEI ecosystem. It engages with industry stakeholders for CEI potential demand and develops a productive and effective interface between the demand constituency and the supply side. With a specific focus on Meta-OS projects, UNLOCK-CEI coordinates this portfolio of projects from the supply side through mechanisms such as WP4 as well as TF4 and TF5. In the meantime, through TF6 and collaboration with Open Continuum project, UNLOCK-CEI contributes to mobilisation and engagement of RIAs portfolios as well.
The activities of UNLOCK-CEI during the first period focused on five main dimensions:
(1) Analysis of CEI demand market and generate insights about business opportunities and market scenarios: extensive research was conducted to analyse the current status-quo of CEI demand market in Europe in 5 selected verticals as well as defining the forecast of the CEI market in terms of technology uptake, CEI solutions adoption, spotlight use-cases, drivers and barriers, etc. A mixed of methodologies were applied to carry-out the market analysis including an extensive desk research, a survey with more than 700 interviews with market participants and deep-dive interviews with most relevant market players. Moreover, through desk research and information collected in VCA workshops, a deep analysis of sub use-cases was conducted where a set of service requirements were defined as well as deciding factors for CEI adoption which eventually resulted in development of several market scenarios and pathways to be validated in the upcoming period.
(2) Interaction with CEI demand value chain actors: During the first reporting period, 5 value chain adopters groups (one per vertical) were established and mobilised through organization of 5 VCA workshops to collect insights and feedback regarding the service requirements. This information were enriched by several in-depth interviews that were conducted afterwards. Moreover, UNLOCK.CEI attended in several industrial events to run or participate in sessions to collect industrial experts feedback on value chain and market dynamics. This information combined with the results of another round of in-depth interviews resulted in generation of CEI value chain building blocks and framework mapped for the selected verticals and Meta-OS projects to identify preliminary gaps.
(3) Dialogue with supply side technology providers (projects portfolio): During the first period, a dialogue was established with Meta-OS RIAs and all the projects were mapped from a technological scope as well as challenges and solutions. Enabling technologies for the CEI convergence were analyse and identified through a technology scoping approach. A conceptual model for a feasibility assessment tool was developed. In parallel the general coordination and showcasing of portfolio projects was always running through organization of different events, webinars and workshops. Moreover, a big effort was made to establish the EU-CEI joint Task Forces and their running.
(4) Engagement and outreach: During the first period, a concrete strategy for communication and dissemination and the relevant activities started running since M1 in several streams such as establishment of portal and social media, communication campaigns, organization of events, webinars and workshops, publishing of newsletters and post-event materials, etc. Moreover, an exploitation and sustainability strategy was set up for Key Exploitable Results of the project. In the last period, a significant effort was dedicated to establishment and running of Task Force 6 OF EU-CEI jointly with Open Continuum project.
(5) Create synergy and collaboration: As a CSA, UNLOCK-CEI has considered synergies identification and creation of collaboration opportunities among its main missions since the beginning. The activities under this dimension in the first reporting period were conducted through different streams of activities such as regular interaction with Open Continuum and supply side, Joint establishment and running of EU-CEI community and Task Forces, Joint organisation of events with Open Continuum as well as with cluster projects, establish dialogue and synergy with other initiatives (i.e. AIOTI, BDVA, EPoSS, FIWARE, DataSpaces projects, etc.) and organization of joint webinars and workshops.
Eventually, in the first 18 months of activity of the project, all foreseen activities have been performed and all deliverables, defined in the Grant Agreement (GA) following by the Amendment No AMD-101070571-3, have been released in due time and the relevant milestones are reached . Regarding the KPIs, while some of them have been achieved, the rest are progressing on-track and we expect to be able to reached them by the end of the project in November 2024.
(1) Analysis of CEI demand market and generate insights about business opportunities and market scenarios: extensive research was conducted to analyse the current status-quo of CEI demand market in Europe in 5 selected verticals as well as defining the forecast of the CEI market in terms of technology uptake, CEI solutions adoption, spotlight use-cases, drivers and barriers, etc. A mixed of methodologies were applied to carry-out the market analysis including an extensive desk research, a survey with more than 700 interviews with market participants and deep-dive interviews with most relevant market players. Moreover, through desk research and information collected in VCA workshops, a deep analysis of sub use-cases was conducted where a set of service requirements were defined as well as deciding factors for CEI adoption which eventually resulted in development of several market scenarios and pathways to be validated in the upcoming period.
(2) Interaction with CEI demand value chain actors: During the first reporting period, 5 value chain adopters groups (one per vertical) were established and mobilised through organization of 5 VCA workshops to collect insights and feedback regarding the service requirements. This information were enriched by several in-depth interviews that were conducted afterwards. Moreover, UNLOCK.CEI attended in several industrial events to run or participate in sessions to collect industrial experts feedback on value chain and market dynamics. This information combined with the results of another round of in-depth interviews resulted in generation of CEI value chain building blocks and framework mapped for the selected verticals and Meta-OS projects to identify preliminary gaps.
(3) Dialogue with supply side technology providers (projects portfolio): During the first period, a dialogue was established with Meta-OS RIAs and all the projects were mapped from a technological scope as well as challenges and solutions. Enabling technologies for the CEI convergence were analyse and identified through a technology scoping approach. A conceptual model for a feasibility assessment tool was developed. In parallel the general coordination and showcasing of portfolio projects was always running through organization of different events, webinars and workshops. Moreover, a big effort was made to establish the EU-CEI joint Task Forces and their running.
(4) Engagement and outreach: During the first period, a concrete strategy for communication and dissemination and the relevant activities started running since M1 in several streams such as establishment of portal and social media, communication campaigns, organization of events, webinars and workshops, publishing of newsletters and post-event materials, etc. Moreover, an exploitation and sustainability strategy was set up for Key Exploitable Results of the project. In the last period, a significant effort was dedicated to establishment and running of Task Force 6 OF EU-CEI jointly with Open Continuum project.
(5) Create synergy and collaboration: As a CSA, UNLOCK-CEI has considered synergies identification and creation of collaboration opportunities among its main missions since the beginning. The activities under this dimension in the first reporting period were conducted through different streams of activities such as regular interaction with Open Continuum and supply side, Joint establishment and running of EU-CEI community and Task Forces, Joint organisation of events with Open Continuum as well as with cluster projects, establish dialogue and synergy with other initiatives (i.e. AIOTI, BDVA, EPoSS, FIWARE, DataSpaces projects, etc.) and organization of joint webinars and workshops.
Eventually, in the first 18 months of activity of the project, all foreseen activities have been performed and all deliverables, defined in the Grant Agreement (GA) following by the Amendment No AMD-101070571-3, have been released in due time and the relevant milestones are reached . Regarding the KPIs, while some of them have been achieved, the rest are progressing on-track and we expect to be able to reached them by the end of the project in November 2024.
Main results:
WP1
- Market survey with +700 interviews
- 15 CEI spotlight use-cases
- 6 deep dive interviews
- market report
WP2
- Final version of readiness framework
- An set of sub use-cases and service requirements
- Deciding factors for CEI technologies adoption in the market
- Preliminary market scenarios and pathways
WP3
- 5 VCA groups
- 5 sector specific workshops
- In-depth interviews
- 5 sector specific flyers
- assessment of market structures and dynamics
- Analysis of Cloud-Edge-IoT building blocks and mapping of MetaOS projects
- gaps and opportunities for the European companies
- Slidedeck of market dynamics
WP4
- Developed a brochure of CEI Ecosystem overview of Meta-OS use-cases
- Tech Scoping Paper
- conceptual model as the basis of the feasibility assessment tool (CEI-LING)
- Hosted webinars and events to disseminate Open Calls funding and support opportunities and procedures.
- Hosted an energy webinar with Meta-OS
- Meta-OS Collaborative map
WP5
- 40+ comms activities
- 3 user-stories
- CEI market infographics
- 5 engagement campaign
- 38 organised/attended events
- 3 exploitation plans
- 1 whitepaper produced and promoted
WP1
- Market survey with +700 interviews
- 15 CEI spotlight use-cases
- 6 deep dive interviews
- market report
WP2
- Final version of readiness framework
- An set of sub use-cases and service requirements
- Deciding factors for CEI technologies adoption in the market
- Preliminary market scenarios and pathways
WP3
- 5 VCA groups
- 5 sector specific workshops
- In-depth interviews
- 5 sector specific flyers
- assessment of market structures and dynamics
- Analysis of Cloud-Edge-IoT building blocks and mapping of MetaOS projects
- gaps and opportunities for the European companies
- Slidedeck of market dynamics
WP4
- Developed a brochure of CEI Ecosystem overview of Meta-OS use-cases
- Tech Scoping Paper
- conceptual model as the basis of the feasibility assessment tool (CEI-LING)
- Hosted webinars and events to disseminate Open Calls funding and support opportunities and procedures.
- Hosted an energy webinar with Meta-OS
- Meta-OS Collaborative map
WP5
- 40+ comms activities
- 3 user-stories
- CEI market infographics
- 5 engagement campaign
- 38 organised/attended events
- 3 exploitation plans
- 1 whitepaper produced and promoted