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7^th Framework Programme for Research (2007-2013)

Objective 7.3: ICT for Governance & Policy Modelling

Please read the ICT Work Programme 2009-10 and the extract for the Objective 7.3: ICT for Governance & Policy Modelling

General FP7 2009-2010 user guide to European research funding

All the guide documents are available here

Slide Presentation Objective 7.3

 

EU funding for the advancement of ICT

The objective of ICT research under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7; 2007-2013) is to improve the competitiveness of European industry – as well as to enable Europe to master and shape the future developments of these technologies so that the demands of its society and economy are met. Download 4-page overview of ICT in FP7 .

The EU Member States have earmarked a total of € 9.1 billion for funding ICT over the duration of FP7; making it the largest research theme in the Cooperation programme, which is itself the largest specific programme of FP7 (with 64% of the total budget).

FP7 research activities will strengthen Europe’s scientific and technology base and ensure its global leadership in ICT, help drive and stimulate product, service and process innovation and creativity through ICT use and ensure that ICT progress is rapidly transformed into benefits for Europe’s citizens, businesses, industry and governments.

The Work Programme for 2009 -2010 of the 7th Research Framework Programme has been published.

Relevance for the government context

It is now recognised that on-line collaborations have the potential to trigger and shape significant changes in the way future societies will function. Extrapolation of the present exponential growth leads to scenarios where very large percentages of populations could, if equipped with the right tools, simultaneously voice opinions and views on major and minor societal challenges, and thereby herald the transition to a different form of dynamically participative "eSociety".

While such scenarios are readily imaginable, it must be recognised that we currently do not have appropriate governance models, process flows, or analytical tools with which to properly understand, interpret, visualise and harness the forces that can be unleashed. By 2020 there could be no barriers any more for citizens and businesses to participate in decision making at all levels. Advanced tools – possibly building on gaming and virtual reality technologies will enable citizens to track most decision making processes and see how their contributions have been (or are being) taken into account.

a) Governance and Participation Toolbox

Significant outcomes expected include: Advanced tools embodying structural, organisational and new governance models to empower and engage all types of societal groups and communities, enable them to exploit mass cooperation platforms and allow governments to incorporate their input.

The toolbox must include security, identity and access controls to ensure privacy and, where appropriate, the delineation of constituency domains according to the specific needs of government applications.

b) Policy Modelling, Simulation and Visualisation

Significant outcomes expected include: Real-time opinion visualisation and simulation solutions based on modelling, simulation, visualisation and mixed reality technologies, data and opinion mining, filtering and aggregation. This will encompass novel instruments which allow consideration of options based on the simulated behaviour and wishes of individuals, groups or society as a whole to understand the possible outcomes of government proposals, decisions and legislation.

The focus is on advanced tools and technologies to perform large-scale societal simulations integrating all possible variables, parameters, interferences, scenarios necessary to forecast potential outcomes and impacts of proposed policy measures.

c) Road mapping and Networking for 'participation, governance and policy modelling'

• RTD roadmap for the domain of ICT for participation, governance and policy modelling to identify emerging technologies and potential applications, taking into account technology trends as well as social behaviours and demands, business potential and impact. It will also consider emerging research directions in the domain and will include insight into research activities undertaken in non-EU countries.

• A dynamic 'Network' to encourage networking of relevant stakeholders and teams working in these areas and to encourage multidisciplinary constituency building.

  Expected impact and benefits in the Government context:

• Improved empowerment of individuals, groups and societies. Advance tools will enable them to exploit mass cooperation platforms and allow governments to incorporate their input.

• More efficient collection of feedback from public sector organisations to continuously improve the governance.

• Improved prediction of policy measures impacts, with increased contribution and involvement of individuals and societies, supported by new technologies.

• Intelligent and optimised use of vast public sector knowledge resources for policy modelling.

• Improved link between the public and policy makers through real time opinion visualisation and data mining.

• Strengthened competitive position of European industry in the fields of cooperation platforms, optimisation, simulation and visualisation tools

• Increased trust of the citizens through transparency and feedback of their contributions to policy making.

• Making government more simple and user-oriented.

• Making government more joined-up and networked: collaboration across and within organisations, and reduce the "silo effect" and duplication of efforts.

• Current linguistic and cultural barriers could be largely overcome through use of semantic-based cooperation platforms.

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