EC Launches Consultation on IPR

The European Commission has launched a consultation on the evaluation and modernisation of the legal framework for the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR).

Amongst the actions envisaged in the European Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy is the modernisation of IPR enforcement, focusing on commercial-scale infringements (the ‘follow the money’ approach) and its cross-border applicability.

The consultation consists of a set of questionnaires for different stakeholder groups, notably rightholders, the judiciary and legal profession, intermediaries, Member States and public authorities, citizens, and consumers and civil society. It will run until 1 April 2016.

Consultation: Future research priorities in Cloud Computing and Software

The European Commission loves a good consultation, and one that is currently under way relates topics that are of interest to researchers in department: Cloud Computing and Software (inc. Open Source).

The consultation is structured in two parts, one for each topic, and stakeholders can contribute to only one, or to both parts.

A post-consultation workshop is then scheduled to take place in Brussels on 4 November 2014 to discuss the views expressed by various contributors to the consultation. Information on how to register will be made available through the Commission in due course.

The consultation is open until 10 October. For further information, including background documents, visit this link

Mathematics and Digital Science Consultation

Horizon 2020 is offering many opportunities for researchers to contribute and shape the future of the programme. This particular online consultation aims to explore how mathematics can help science to better address the Big Data and high performance computing (HPC) challenges.

This consultation will stay open till 30 September 2014 and will gather opinions about:

  • The role of mathematics in big data
  • The role of mathematics in HPC, in particular exascale computing
  • The role of e-infrastructures in maths
  • The impact of applied and industrial mathematics on innovation
  • The preparation of the FET Proactive (HPC) and/or the e-Infrastructure Work Programmes 2016-17 under the Excellent Science pillar of Horizon 2020
  • Other suggestions for new mathematics related topics to be discussed online or in an upcoming workshop, including new practices in mathematics that could be stimulated by e-infrastructure and online collaborative media

If you would like to contribute or would just like more info (including reading the ongoing discussion) please visit this link: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/content/mathematics-and-digital-science

ICT Proposers’ Day | 9-10 October 2014

The ICT Proposers’ day 2014 is a networking event organised by the European Commission to promote European ICT Research and Innovation. The event focuses on the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2015 and will be held in Florence, Italy on the 9th and 10th of October 2014.

This event, organised by the European Commission, is specifically dedicated to networking and promoting research and innovation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies. The event will focus on networking for the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2015.

The event, free of charge, offers an exceptional occasion to build quality partnerships as it will connect academia, research institutes, industrial stakeholders, SMEs and government actors from all over Europe. The registration to attend the event is now open. Read more and register.

Horizon 2020: FET Consultation

It seems that the Commission is all about the work programme consultations at the moment. In addition to the consultation they’re running on Network Technologies & Internet of Things (IoT) they are also interested in gathering feedback for Future Emerging Technologies (FET) which is a favourite here in department.

These consultations give us the chance to influence the development of already identified emerging areas, as well as suggest completely new ones. If you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions for this area I cannot stress enough how important it is to feed into this process as it will give you the opportunity to shape future funding to fit into your own priority areas.

The consultation will be open until 15 June 2014, giving you just over a month to participate.

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/content/consultation-new-fet-proactive-topics