Research & Innovation :: Innovation Through ICTs
From ICT Research to Innovation
Investments in ICTs are a key factor in driving innovation in companies, driving productivity growth, honing competitiveness, cutting red tape and creating jobs.
In some key areas - notably where ICTs can benefit society - structural obstacles can prevent cutting-edge research from being adopted in the marketplace. These obstacles must be tackled at regional, national and European level, which is why the Commission runs programmes focused on increasing the uptake of innovative, cutting edge ICTs by European companies, small and large:
- The €728m ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP, 2007-2013) aims
to stimulate innovation
and competitiveness through the wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens,
governments and businesses. It is part of the European Commission's
wider Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP).
- ICT PSP builds on the former eTEN programme, which ended in 2006.
- The €149m eContentplus (2005–08) programme is tackling organisational barriers and promoting take up of leading-edge technical solutions to improve accessibility and usability of digital content in a multilingual environment. The Programme, which builds on the former eContent programme, addresses specific market areas where development has been slow: geographic content (as a key constituent of public sector content), educational content, cultural, scientific and scholarly content.