European Commission issues tech call to arms

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<img src="http://ivory.vnunet.com/images/computing/computing-05-03-09/eu-flag/medium.jpg" class="logo" />Digital Agenda chief wants more private-public partnerships, and backs open source as key to future of the internet

The European commissioner for the digital agenda has called on the technology industry and EU member states to work together to develop technologies that will meet the challenges of a modern Europe.

Neelie Kroes said at an EU Future Internet event in Valencia that organisations and governments need to develop public private partnerships (PPPs) in order to accelerate the development of new internet technologies.

"I am issuing a challenge to industry and Member States: we need to pick up the pace in the future internet race. We need to do this to avoid economic irrelevance and diminished social outcomes," she said.

Kroes oversees the EU's Future Internet PPP that funds the development of next-generation internet services, and has already provided around 100 projects with €200m (£175m) of funding.

However, she argued that further funding is needed to help companies develop new technologies, and that a good open working relationship among member states is required to help the market move forward.

"Progress is not certain. It will involve a great deal of effort and acceptance that we don't know exactly where we will end up. We need co-ordinated research which makes the leap from the lab to the market in record time," she said.

"These projects involve high-risk research which, through large scale demonstrations and a focus on getting innovations to market, will allow industry to make long-term investment plans."

In order to further drive industry and member state collaboration, Kroes argued that it is vital that open platforms form the foundation of PPP projects.

"We also know that the most recent internet successes are based on open service platforms that can be globally used to develop any application of interest. It is therefore logical that this model of will drive PPP implementation," she said.

"What I am describing here is an open system where innovation is central. This will lead to thousands of services delivered via an enhanced broadband network and supported by a shared European framework."

Kroes claimed that this open framework would then help developers create new applications to deliver more effective and efficient services in areas such as health and travel.

"In my vision different health institutions, using the same open platform, would be able to use clinical data differently while in urban mobility. We can guide city travellers towards the best route and the best means of transport," she said.

"At the end of this process, my goal is to have both sides of future internet R&D, technology supply and application demand, working as one to build this open platform."

Kroes also called on governments to work together to help set the agenda for developing standards to ensure the most efficient use of PPP funded projects.

"Standards do not cost much to develop, but failing to agree can cost us greatly. We need to protect taxpayers by ensuring efficient use of their money in research spending and when governments purchase IT," she said.

"Governments therefore have a legitimate voice in the development and shaping of standards."

The Future Internet PPP forms part of the EU's wider Europe 2020 strategy designed to deliver sustainable growth and jobs.

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