Periodic Report Summary 1 - LIFTGATE (Lifting up the research potential of the Galician Telecomms center) Project Context and Objectives:"LIFTGATE - Lifting up the research potential of the Galician Telecomms center" aims at stimulating Gradiant’s full potential by unlocking and developing its existing research and innovation excellence in three ICT research lines: multimedia security, information processing and information systems design, and satellite communications. LIFTGATE is a project funded by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme under the “Research Potential” activity.The Galician Research and Development Center in Advanced Telecommunications (Gradiant) was born to align university R&D capabilities with business demands. Gradiant’s work is developed in four vast areas of the ICT sector: Communications, Networks and Applications, Multimodal Information and eHealth. Its main goal is to play a fundamental role in the generation and transfer of technology-related knowledge. Founded in 2007 by eleven companies of the Galician ICT sector, the Regional Ministry of Industry of the Government of Galicia and the three Galician universities, Gradiant is a non-profit foundation located in CITEXVI Building (Vigo Technological City), in Vigo, Spain. In a five-year time span, Gradiant has steadily increased its staff reaching over 70 researchers, 20 of them with significant experience in executing and managing R&D projects. Out of that pool, 15 researchers are Ph.D. holders in the fields of telecommunications engineering and computer science. LIFTGATE is focused on increasing the human capacity, competences and experience at Gradiant, with focus on the three research lines detailed above, and disseminating Gradiant as a research facility of excellence, a promising business partner and an employer of choice. This will be accomplished through means of five major actions:1. To increase the human capacity, competences and experience at Gradiant through exchange of staff and know-how with other more knowledgeable research entities and companies via six secondment plans.2. To attract qualified human resources to Gradiant in order to fill six new research positions covering the three research lines targeted by LIFTGATE.3. To improve the overall level of Gradiant’s technical equipment utilized in R&D by purchasing 4 new sets of research equipment selected based on the three research lines of LIFTGATE.4. To increase the technical knowledge and complementary skills of Gradiant’s staff via a number of seminars, conferences and training activities focused on cutting-edge technology, technology transfer, intellectual property protection, among others.5. To disseminate Gradiant as an excellence research facility and a promising business partner by organizing dissemination events, and participating in international networking events and technical conferences.The project will enhance Gradiant’s capacity to develop high quality research, both from a technical and managerial perspective, and lay the path to an increased ability by Gradiant to take part in European collaborative research projects.Project Results:During the first half of LIFTGATE project a number of key activities were successfully developed which are already having a significant impact on Gradiant's research potential:- In order to increase the human capacity, competences and experience at Gradiant by exchange of know-how and experience, six secondments of research staff between Gradiant and a 5 institutions throughout the ERA were implemented. Secondments were developed with the Computer Vision and Multimedia Laboratory of the University of Geneva (Switzerland), the Università degli Studi di Siena (Italy), Telecom Bretagne (France), the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (Germany), and Technicolor (France).- A recruitment process was developed and Gradiant incorporated 6 experienced researchers in the three key research lines of LIFTGATE.In order to improve the overall level of Gradiant’s technical equipment used in R&D, Gradiant acquired four sets of laboratory equipment covering the needs of the three research lines targeted by LIFTGATE..- As contribution to the improvement of human capacity and business performance of its staff, Gradiant organized three seminars on technological surveillance and technology transfer, one training activity in the “Business of R&D” and co-organized three prestigious international conferences on technology:-- Workshop on Cognitive Information Processing (CIP 2012)-- The 6th Advanced Satellite Multimedia Systems Conference (ASMS 2012)-- International Workshop on Information Forensics and Security (WIFS 2012).- Different activities were carried out to disseminate Gradiant as an excellence research facility, a promising business partner and an employer of choice:-- Production and distribution of a descriptive brochure of the LIFTGATE Project.-- Update of Gradiant website, with a consolidated English version.-- Creation of an specific website for the LIFTGATE project.-- Publication and distribution of 3 half-yearly newsletter in electronic and paper format.-- Dissemination of Gradiant’s RTD results, through participating in 2 international renowned conferences.Potential Impact:Aligned with LIFTGATE objectives, a summary of the expected final results are:(i) To increase the human capacity, competences and experience at Gradiant by exchange of know-how and experience, it is expected that there will be done a set of 12 exchange actions (visits and secondments) with other prestigious European academic, research and industrial institutions.(ii) To attract qualified human resources to Gradiant by means of an structured recruitment policy, it is expected that there will be recruited six qualified researchers with experience in the three research lines targeted by LIFTGATE.(iii) To improve the overall level of Gradiant’s technical equipment utilized in R&D, it is expected that Gradiant will acquire a set of laboratory equipment based on the three strategic research lines of LIFTGATE.(iv) To organise several yearly events at Gradiant to increase staff knowledge and promote Gradiant’s work and results, it is expected that there will be developed 3 seminars on technological surveillance and technology transfer, and 3 training activities in the “Business of R&D”, that Gradiant will co-organize 3 prestigious conferences on technology. LIFTGATE will also also improve Gradiant’s competence in intellectual property issues and other skills that are complementary to the pure research activity by: (a) the development of a self-tailored plan for protection and management of Intellectual Property in the ICT sector, (b) the creation of a portfolio of internal technologies suitable to be transferred to industry and (c) the creation of an innovation culture in Gradiant, helping the researchers to get new ideas using creativity and innovation techniques.(v) To disseminate Gradiant as an excellence research facility, a promising business partner and an employer of choice, it is expected that different activities were carried out to promote and make known the center at the European level. LIFTGATE will unlock Gradiant’s research potential, facilitate the centre’s integration in the European Research Area and prepare it for a more effective participation in European collaborative research projects, namely FP7 projects. LIFTGATE is boosting Gradiant’s business competence and, ultimately, it will contribute to the prosperity and development of the Galician region by driving its economy to a knowledge-based era supported by technological development and innovation for the ICT sector.The project will have the following impacts:1. LIFTGATE will contribute to a better integration of Gradiant in the European Research Area.2. The project will have a notable and almost immediate impact on Gradiant’s overall research capacities and capabilities, both at human and logistic levels.3. One of LIFTGATE’s important results is its projected impact on the scientific and economic framework of the region and the community. Through LIFTGATE, not only will Gradiant directly contribute to the scientific and economic development of Galicia, by creation of research jobs and possible local sourcing of goods and services in order to upgrade its research equipment, as it will also add to the integration of Galicia in the European economy of knowledge and to the defragmentation of the R&D market in the region.4. Gradiant will acquire amplified capacity to participate and efficiently collaborate in FP7 projects.List of Websites:https://sites.google.com/a/gradiant.org/liftgate/ Related documents periodic1-liftgate-project-images.pdf
