ICT 2013: Registration open!

ICT 2013, the biggest ICT event in Europe, will be held in Vilnius on 6-8 November, 2013. It will bring together Europe's best & brightest in ICT research, with businesses old & new, web start-ups and digital strategists to chart a path for Europe's ICT research policy. Join us to share your vision for the future with EU policy-makers, and see the latest advances in EU-funded ICT research.

More than 4000 researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, young people and politicians are expected in Vilnius. Registration for the event has just been opened.

More information

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EMF will present eCultValue project to the EVA 2013 event

Margaretha Mazura, Secretary General of EMF, the forum of e-Excellence will present the eCultValue projects to the EVA, the foremost European Electronic Imaging events in the Visual Arts. 

This workshop will focus on the opportunities and challenges in communicating local/regional cultural heritage to audiences in other European countries and internationally, sensitive for the distinct cultural characteristics (i.e. preventing stereotypic images) and promoting understanding of cultural diversity.

The full programme here.

More information here.

Round Table on the EU-LAC Summit in Santiago on 13 May 2013

IRELAC together with CEFIAL and EMF are organising a follow-up Round Table on the EU-LAC Summit, held this January in Santiago de Chile. 

The Round Table will bring together representatives from academia, industry, public sector and civil society to discuss the steps forward for a sustainable and mutually beneficial EU-LAC cooperation, based on the Action Plan 2014/2015 of Santiago. 

Download the Programme here.

ICT Skills are girls' best friend!

..said Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President responsible for the Digital Agenda Europe, during the Parliamentary Hearing "Girls in ICT Day 2013" on 25 April 2013, co-organised by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the International Telecoms Union. The event aims to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the sector of technology. 

As part of the event, the European Parliament organised a hearing on "Women in ICT" around the topics of professional women in ICT careers and developing ICT skills for ICT jobs.

Neelie Kroes opened the Parliamentary hearing by stating that "Digital women are worth more than diamonds". "Getting more women in ICT will enhance equality and competitiveness in an increasingly digital world".

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of facebook, joined via tele-conference the Hearing and offered to the audience practical advice on how to unleash their full potential and achieve their goals.

Participants exchanged ideas on how to encourage young women take up leading role in both personal and professional level and make the most of every opportunity. Pursuing an ICT-related career was highlighted throughout the Hearing as a first-class opportunity to enhance women's leverage in the digital world.

More information about Girls in ICT Day.

Innovation, a Business Opportunity for SMEs!

The two-day conference, EuroSME2013, will be hosted in Dublin on 11 - 12 June, during Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union in 2013. The driving theme of this event will be "Supporting Innovative SMEs in Their Ambition to Grow". The event will spotlight new trends shaping innovation in the 21st century, identify SME opportunities and challenges in exploiting these trends and highlight public and private support structures allowing SMEs to tap into the emerging growth opportunities. In addition, the event will be used to publicise the approach to innovation in SMEs under Horizon 2020.

The conference will consider and make reference to the role of the SME in:

• The Europe of 2020, and its’ envisaged smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive economy, where research and innovation are at its very core;
• The Innovation Union, as one of the flagship initiatives supporting the implementation of the EU2020 strategy. It comprises the whole innovation chain from ideas to market and it places particular emphasis on innovation and support measures for SMEs: Enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs;
• Promoting employment and supporting labour mobility; and Strengthening research, technological development and innovation.
• Economic growth and job creation.

The Irish presidency of the EU welcomes your registration for this event

Read the full invitation for the event.

Who are the innovation leaders in the European Union?

Innovation performance in the EU has improved year on year in spite of the continuing economic crisis, but the innovation divide between Member States is widening. While the most innovative countries have further improved their performance, others have shown a lack of progress. 

The overall ranking within the EU remains relatively stable, with Sweden at the top, followed by Germany, Denmark and Finland. Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are the countries that have most improved since last year.  Drivers of innovation growth in the EU include SMEs and the commercialisation of innovations, together with excellent research systems. However the fall in business and venture capital investment over the years 2008-2012 has negatively influenced innovation performance.

Click here to see the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2013 and an interactive map tracking the country by country innovation records along with downloadable PDFs.

Find all about the launch of the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs!

The conference website of the launch of the Grand Coalition: 'Filling the gaps: e-Skills and Education for Digital Jobs' which took place on 4-5 March 2013 at the Marriott hotel in Brussels has been updated with:

• some presentations of the conference and the pledges for the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs (available at http://www.filling-the-gaps.eu/PRESENTATIONS.html)

• the conference pictures (http://www.filling-the-gaps.eu/PICTURES.html)

Visit the conference website.

ICT 2013: Create, Connect Grow

The ICT conference will take place at the beginning of November 2013 in Vilnius, Lithuania. It will be the first opportunity to learn the details of research funding for ICT-related projects under Horizon 2020, the new framework programme. 

Horizon 2020 will support the development of ICT in Science (in future and emerging technologies or e-Infrastructures); in industrial leadership (such as smart systems, robotics, photonics, etc.) and in societal challenges (such as eHealth, eGovernment and eSkills.), and with a special instrument for SMEs. 

The Call for Networking Sessions for the ICT conference is open now, with the deadline 26 April 2013. 

More information about ICT 2013: Create, Connect Grow

The Grand Coalition for digital jobs was launched. And now what?

Photo by: Yuri Arcurs

At the launch of a new partnership to address a lack of ICT skills and the hundreds of thousands of unfilled ICT-related jobs, President Barroso stressed the job potential of the ICT sector for Europe. He reiterated that tackling high unemployment is the Commission's top priority.

A Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs was launched on Monday, 4 March 2013, following identification by the Commission's Digital Agenda for Europe of the lack of e-skills to pursue today's rapid technological changes. This new multi-stakeholder partnership has a mandate until 2015.

"Studies have also shown that ICT-related occupations are much more resistant to crisis than most other jobs. This clearly means that e-skills are definitely key in reducing the risk of unemployment including for senior workers. More and better qualified ICT practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, managers and users are needed and will increasingly be needed," said President Barroso in his speech at the launch and noted that the latest study shows that Europe faces up to 900,000 unfilled ICT jobs.

"In a nutshell, a multi-stakeholder partnership approach is the right way to develop a skills agenda in a targeted, innovative and sustainable way," said President Barroso.

Initial commitments from stakeholders have been endorsed with over 15 companies and organisations signing up to the Grand Coalition. Among the first pledges to come to life is a new online learning platform for young people called the Academy Cube and a new training module for energy smart grid installers.

The Commission has sought pledges in the following key areas:

• Training and matching for digital jobs – to help ensure the skills people are getting are the skills business needs;
• Mobility – helping those with skills get to the place where they're needed, to avoid shortages and surpluses in different towns and cities;
• Certification – making it easier to prove to an employer what skills one has, regardless of the country;
• Awareness raising – so that people know the digital sector offers rewarding and enjoyable careers to both women and men;
• Innovative learning and teaching – so our education and training systems expand and improve to give more people the skills for success.

More information about the launch of the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs.

Click here to watch the speech of President Barroso.

The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs will be launched Monday, 4 March 2013 in Brussels

Filling the gaps - the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs will be launched Monday, 4 March 2013 in Brussels. The event is hosted by

- Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of the Digital Agenda for Europe 

- Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship

- László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

- Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

The programme features the keynote speech by President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

For more information, see the programme.

EMF will keep you informed about the outcome of the conference in this blog!