News
- Forum for the Information Society - Web Accessibility
The Web Content Accessibility for citizens with special needs was discussed at a session of the Forum for the Information Society held on the 5th of May of 2011, at the Auditorium of SIBS, organized jointly by the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), and the Association for the Promotion and Development of Information Society (APDSI).
This session of the Forum discussed the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) approved by the W3C – World Wide Web Consortium in December 2008, which were published in Portuguese by UMIC on the 25th of February of 2009 (see Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) of the W3C Published in Portuguese). Portuguese was the 3rd language in the world in which the new accessibility guidelines were published, only after the original English publication and an Hungarian translation published a few weeks before the Portuguese.
- 1st ceFIMS Project Newsletter
The 1st ceFIMS Project Newsletter was published on the 18th of February of 2011. The Special Feature of this Newsletter is the article "Cars That Talk: The Future of Intelligent Transportation Systems" which is subtitled "Portugal Has the Largest Vehicular Networks Testbed in Europe". The article refers to the network of 500 taxi cabs of Porto developed as part of the project DRIVE-IN - Distributed Routing and Infotainment through Inter-Vehicular Networking of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program.
The DRIVE-IN project involves researchers from the universities of Porto and Aveiro, the Associate Laboratory Institute of Telecommunications, the enterprises NDrive and Geolink, and also the Institute for Mobility and Land Transport, the RadiTaxis Cooperative and the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program.
- Forum for the Information Society - Digital Economy
On the 12th October 2010, at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon, it will be held the Forum for the Information Society – Digital Economy, jointly organized by ACEPI – Association Electronic Commerce and Interactive Advertising and the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) (see the Forum agenda (text in Portuguese) with links to presentations) as part of the Portugal |Internet Week’10 (text in Portuguese).
The purpose of this Forum is to discuss some of the main aspects of the Digital Economy, in the context of the Digital Agenda for Europe 2010-2020, launched on the 19th May 2010 by the European Commission Communication "A Digital Agenda for Europe" as the first flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy for Growth and Employment adopted by the European Council (text in Portuguese) on the 17th of June 2010 (see also European Council Sets Key Objectives of Europe 2020 Strategy for Employment and Growth (text in Portuguese) in the 26th of March 2010), and supported by the Council of EU on Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (text in Portuguese) of the 31st May 2010.
- 1st Brazil-Portugal International Cooperation in Nanotechnology Workshop
On 15-16 July 2010, the 1st Brazil-Portugal International Cooperation in Nanotechnology Workshop was held at the CBPF – Brazilian Center for Physics Research of the Ministry of Science and Technology, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, within the Protocol between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Nanotechnology (text in Portuguese). This protocol was signed by Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal, José Mariano Gago, and the Minister of Science and Technology of Brazil, Sergio Rezende, in a ceremony held at the Grémio Literário, Lisbon, on 10th October 2009, when they signed four cooperation agreements in areas of science, technology, innovation and information society (see Signing of Protocols on Cooperation in Science, Technology and Information Society between Portugal and Brazil).
- Forum for the Information Society - Internet Governance
On July 8, 2010, from 9:00 to 17:30, the Forum on the Information Society – Internet Governance took place at ISCTE-IUL, Edifício II, Auditório B203, Av. das Forças Armadas, Lisboa, (see the Forum program with links to presentations). This Forum was open to all interested participants.
The purpose of this forum, organized back-to-back with the public session of the World Internet Project (July 7, also at ISCTE-IUL, Edifício II, Auditório B203) by the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) in collaboration with the Foundation for National Scientific Computing (FCCN) and the Lisbon Internet and Networks Institute (LINI), was to discuss some of the main aspects of Internet Governance.
- Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal: Themes relating to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
As mentioned in the news item Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal : Topics Related to the Internet of the Future, on the 4 and 7 July 2010 the 4th Meeting with Science will take place at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, in Junqueira, Lisbon. The sessions outlined in the SCIENCE 2010 Meeting Programme (text in Portuguese) will be webcast in audio and video in real time through FCCN – the Foundation for National Scientific Computation , and will be archived for hearing/viewing at any time. This Meeting brings together scientific institutions and companies to discuss some of the most important areas of scientific activity in Portugal, as well as scientific and technological advances in the following areas:
- Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal : Topics Related to the Internet of the Future
The 4th Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal: Ciência 2010, organized by the Council of Associated Laboratories in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, takes place on 4 and 7 July 2010 at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, Junqueira, Lisbon. The opening session begins on Sunday, 4 July at 16:00.
The sessions given at the SCIENCE 2010 Meeting Programme (text in Portuguese) are to be transmitted in real–time video and audio over the Internet (webcast) through FCCN - The Foundation for National Scientific Computation and will be archived for hearing/viewing at any time.
- Portugal Elected at OECD to Chair Group on Indicators for the Information Society
The President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, was elected yesterday, 17.06.2010, chair of the WPIIS – Working Party on Indicators for the Information Society at the OECD in Paris. His mandate will commence on 1 January 2011.The WPIIS is one of four specialist groups set up under the committee dedicated to Information Society and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) policies, the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP), of which the President of UMIC, Luis Magalhães, has been Vice-Chair since the beginning of 2009.
- 1st Brainstorm on Smart Energy
On the 15th June 2010, the 1st Brainstorm on Smart Energy (micro site) was held at the Scientific and Cultural Centre of Macau, Lisbon, organized jointly by the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, the MIT – Portugal Program, and the projects INOVGRID and MOBI.E. The meeting was co-chaired by Marija Ilic, Carnegie Mellon University, and Luis Magalhães, President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), had as Program Chair of the brainstorms, Inês Lima Azevedo (Carnegie Mellon University), as local organizers António Vidigal (EDP Innovation) and Luis Henriques (EDP Innovation), had the support of coordination of the Directors of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, José Moura (Carnegie Mellon University) and John Barros (IT / FEUP), and the Director of the MIT – Portugal Program, Paulo Ferrão (ISR Lisbon / IN + / IST).
- Information Session on the 3rd Call for Proposals for the Joint AAL Programme
On 4 June 2010, from 14:00 to 17:30, an Information Session was held on the 3rd Call for Proposals for the Joint AAL – Ambient Assisted Living Programme at LNEC – the National Civil Engineering Laboratory, Av. do Brasil, Lisbon, in the Small Auditorium alongside FCCN – the Foundation for National Scientific Computation. This session was organized by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), with the collaboration of FCCN (see programme (text in Portuguese) which contains links to the presentations).
Participation at this informative session was free. However, given logistical requirements and the limited number of places available, those interested had to establish contact by 2 June, stating their interest in attending the session, by sending an email to the International Relations Department of UMIC at ri@umic.pt, and indicating both name and institutional affiliation.
The first announcement of this call for proposals was published on 23 April 2010. It stated that the Call for Proposals would remain open until 30 June 2010, up to 16:00 GMT. The second announcement was published on 20 May, and stated that the funds available for this 3rd Call were 54 million euro.
- "Infoday" in Brussels on the 3rd Call for Proposals for the AAL Joint Programme
On 31 May 2010 in Brussels, at the Marriott Hotel, Rue A Orts 3-7, an Infoday was held between 10:30 and 18:00 on the 3rd Call for Proposals for the Joint AAL – Ambient Assisted Living Programme, organised by the AAL Association, with a programme aimed at companies, R&D institutions and session for public administration bodies of the participating countries as part of the aforementioned Programme. Taking part in the Infoday was free, but required advanced registration by email as explained in the programme.
The first announcement of the 3rd Call for Proposals for the Joint AAL – Ambient Assisted Living Programme was published on 23 April 2010. It stated that the Call for Proposals would remain open until 30 June 2010, up to 16:00 GMT. The second announcement was published on 20 May, and stated that the funds available for this 3rd Call were 54 million euro.
- European Commission Communication "A Digital Agenda for Europe"
The European Commission published its Communication “A Digital Agenda for Europe” on 19.05.2010. It covers one of the emblematic initiatives of the European EU2020 strategy which is intended to continue European policies for the Information Society, succeeding the i2010 – A European Information Society for Growth and Employment initiative. (2005-2010).
The general goal of the Digital Agenda is to extract sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market, based on fast and ultra-fast Internet and interoperable applications.
- Future Internet – Challenges and Opportunities
A Future Internet – Challenges and Opportunities (text in Portuguese) workshop was held on 25 and 26 May 2010, at the Universidade de Aveiro, in the CIFOP – Integrated Teacher Training – Auditorium. It was organised by tice.pt – Information, Communication and Electronics Technologies Competitiveness and Technology Complex, and the opening session was attended by the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).
The breakneck speed with which powerful information and communication infrastructures, social networks, interactive services and cyber-physical systems involving objects on the Internet through sensors and actuators have merged has created new research and development and economic and social progress opportunities, which are in dire need of being harnessed in a concerted fashion. The Future Internet is going to have an enormous impact on application areas including energy management, transport and environmental monitoring systems, health, boosting collaborative creativity in the arts and science, and extending people’s active lives, among others. The related scientific, economic and social opportunities are considerable and should be effectively explored.
- Forum for the Information Society - Future Internet
On May 10, 2010, at the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre, Rua da Junqueira 30, Lisbon, between 9:00 and 17:45, the Forum for the Information Society – Internet of the Future will take place (see Forum Program (in Portuguese)). The Forum is open to all interested parties.
The main objective of this Forum, organized by the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) with the support of Profs. Joao de Barros (Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, IT and FEUP) and Rui Aguiar (IT, U. Aveiro), is to get together expertise in strategic areas for the development of Future Internet, a subject on which there has been since 2006 a special national support, in particular within the international partnership programs of Portugal with some of the world leading institutions but also within other programs, to discuss the opportunities opening up in Future Internet technologies, applications and services.
- Development Days: Knowledge, Empowerment and Technology Transfer
The 3rd “Development Days” (site in Portuguese), an initiative of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, sponsored by IPAD – Portuguese Development Support Institute, IP, were held on 21-22 April 2010 in the Pavilhão do Rio at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, Junqueira. As part of the programme, the “Knowledge, Empowerment and Technology Transfer” Conference (text in Portuguese) was held on 22 April, from 3pm to 5pm for all interested parties in the Pavilion. It was organised by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, in partnership with IPAD. This Conference focussed on different aspect of Portuguese development cooperation in the fields of science, technology and higher education knowledge, empowerment and technology transfer.
- Partnership Building Open Event: "The Future Internet Public-Private-Partnership"
A partnership building open event, The Future Internet Public-Private-Partnership: When smart technologies connect people, was held on 12 March 2010 in Acropolis, Nice, France. The European Commission published its Communication “A public-private partnership on the Future Internet” on 28 October 2009 in which it underscores the importance of building a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the Future Internet and it made a commitment to kick-starting this initiative by earmarking 300 million Euros from the 7th Framework Programme for Research of the European Union (EU) for 2010-2013. A call for proposals is planned for this area in July 2010.
- Innovation Forum on Future Internet Technologies and Services (NET-FIT)
The Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program hosts on February 23, 2010, at Forum Telecom, Picoas, Lisbon, the Innovation Forum on Future Internet Technologies and Services (NET-FIT). The goal of this event is to prepare the launching of a Thematic Network on these topics in order to gather the expertise of Portuguese research centers, private companies and government agencies with the objective of placing Portugal at the forefront of innovation in key technologies and services for the Future Internet.
- Innovation Forum on Services and Technologies for Interactive Media (NET-STIM)
The Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program hosts on February 24, 2010, at Pavilhão do Conhecimento Ciência Viva, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, the Innovation Forum on Services and Technologies for Interactive Media (NET-STIM). The goal of this event is to prepare the launching of a Thematic Network on these topics in order to gather the expertise of Portuguese research centers, private companies and government agencies with the objective of creating in Portugal innovation cluster in advanced services and technologies for interactive media.
- Innovation Network on Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection (NET-SCIP)
The Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program hosts on February 22, 2010, at the University of Coimbra Auditorium, Coimbra, the Innovation Network on Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection (NET-SCIP). The goal of this event is to prepare the launching of a Thematic Network, joining together the expertise of Portuguese research centers, private companies and government agencies for developing in Portugal comparative advantages technologies and services for network security and critical infrastructures protection.
- 4th CIP–ICT PSP Community Programme Call
The 4th call for projects was launched on 21 January 2010 with a financial envelope of 107 million Euros in the scope of the Community Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy Support Programme, otherwise known as CIP–ICT PSP, in the following themes:
- ICT for a low-carbon economy and smart mobility:
- Digital libraries;
- ICT for health and inclusion;
- Open innovation for future Internet services in Smart Cities;
- ICTs to improve public services for citizens and Enterprises;
- Multilingual Internet.
The deadline for tenders for this call ended on 1 June 2010 (at 4pm GMT).
- “Infoday” in Brussels on the 4th CIP–ICT PSP Community Programme Call
An Infoday (Information Day on the fourth Call for Proposals of the ICT Policy Support Programme) was organised by the European Commission on 14 January 2010 in Brussels. The agenda was addressed to all the companies, R&D institutions and public administration bodies taking part in the aforementioned Programme, as was announced at the Information Session on the 4th call of the Community CIP–ICT PSP Programme organised by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) on 27 November 2009. There was no fee to take part in the Infoday but participants had to register online.
An ICT PSP Theme 4 Constituency building workshop: Open Innovation for Future Internet-enabled services in "smart" cities was also held in Brussels, this time on 15 January 2010, which participants had to register for in advance by email as indicated on the page accessible via the previous link. This theme presupposes the adoption of the European Commission model for Living Labs.
The European Commission organised a specific Infoday in Luxemburg on 4 February 2010 on Theme 2 of the call, CIP IC –PSP Digital Libraries, focussed on “Europeana ", open access to scientific information and digitalisation of cultural heritage statistics. Participants had to fill out the respective registration form to take part in the Infoday.
- Training for EU Member States National CIP-ICT PSP Contact Points
The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) held a Training Session for National CIP-ICT PSP Contact Points of the Member States of the European Union (EU) on 26 November 2009 in conjunction with eServices Europa, which works for the European Commission in this area. The session took place on the margins of the Information Session on the 4th call of the Community CIP–ICT PSP Programme on 27 November 2009.
The aims of this training session are to develop competences in business, marketing and information dissemination strategies and intellectual property in CIP –ICT PSP projects, and further contacts between the National CIP – ICT PSP Contact Points of the different Member States to enable more entities to take part in this Community programme.
- Information Session on the 4th call of the Community CIP–ICT PSP Programme
An Information Session was held on 27 November 2009 at the Centro de Congressos,Taguspark, Porto Salvo, in the small Núcleo Central auditorium on the 4th call for projects under the Community Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy Support Programme, otherwise known as CIP–ICT PSP (ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme – CIP). Thiswill be launched by the European Commission in January 2010 with 107 million Euros earmarked in funding for the following themes (see Information Session Agenda (text in Portuguese) with links to the respective presentations):
- ICT for a low-carbon economy and smart mobility;
- Digital libraries;
- ICT for health and inclusion;
- Open innovation for future Internet services in Smart Cities;
- ICTs to improve public services for citizens and enterprises;
- Multilingual Internet.
- ICT, Innovation and Knowledge - 4th Meeting on the UN's Millennium Development Goals and ICT
The 4th Meeting on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and ICT was held on 3-4 November 2009, at the Centro de Congressos at FIL – Lisbon Industrial Trade Fair in the Parque das Nações. The meeting was dedicated to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Innovation and Knowledge. This meeting is part of the initiatives involving public bodies, enterprises and civil society to prepare contributions for the Iberia - Latin America Heads of State and Government Summit (site in Portuguese). It was jointly organised by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and AHCIET – Hispanic-American Association of Research Centers & Telecom Enterprises, a private not-for-profit organisation set up by more than 50 telecommunications operators and enterprises.
Some 100 specialists from 17 Iberian and Latin American countries discussed cooperation in Future of the Internet knowledge and innovation fields.
The meeting’s objective is to analyse policies stimulating ICT innovation and knowledge, involving the public and private sectors: public administrations, international organisations, universities, scientific institutions, enterprises and non-governmental organisations active in the ICT area.
- Portugal and Brazil Sign Scientific, Technology and Information Society Agreements
The Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, and the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Sérgio Rezende, signed five cooperation agreements on science, technology, innovation and the information society at the Grémio Literário Literary Club on 10 October 2010:
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Brazil on strengthening the Portuguese language in the Information Society through open/free access scientific repositories, provision of resources for computer processing of the Portuguese language, assessment of Web content in Portuguese and Web archiving (text in Portuguese);
- Agreement between the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Brazil on Distributed GRID Computing (text in Portuguese);
- Agreement between the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Brazil on nanotechnology (text in Portuguese);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Brazil on research support material in Social and Human Sciences in the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) (text in Portuguese);
- Agreement between the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Brazil on joint participation in EUREKA and IBEROEKA projects (text in Portuguese);
- Science 2009 - Meeting with Science in Portugal: Topics of Future Internet Highlighted
The 3rd Meeting with Science in Portugal, organized by the Council of Associate Laboratories in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education will take place 29-30 July 2009 in the Gulbenkian Foundation headquarters building in Lisbon. The opening session will count with the participation of the Prime Minister and of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
- New R&D Institute Created in Madeira within the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program
University of Madeira, Madeira Technopole and Carnegie Mellon University sign, on July 23, 2009, a protocol for creating a new private R&D institute in the area of Information and Communication Technologies, Madeira – Interactive Technologies Institute (Madeira - ITI), in a ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, and the Secretary of State of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor. The creation of this institute had been proposed at the 5th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, chaired by Luis Magalhães, President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, on the 27th and 28th of May 2009.
- IBM Science Prize 2008
The 2008 IBM Science Prize (text in Portuguese) awards ceremony took place on 22 July 2009 in the Salão Nobre room of the Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon, at a ceremony chaired by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago. The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães.
- INL Opens Its Doors: Portugal and Spain Want To Be among the Leading Nations in Nanotechnology
Less than four years after Portugal and Spain have signed an agreement to create this R&D laboratory, in November 2005, the building of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory was officially inaugurated on July 17, 2009. This laboratory will be the 1st in the world with an international legal status with States as members which is specially dedicated to nanotechnology, thus offering the best conditions for the most talented researchers from around the world to develop top research in nanotechnology. It is also the 1st international laboratory in the Iberian Peninsula in any area of research, leading to Portugal and Spain to enter the restricted group of countries that have such research international organizations in their territory.
- 6th Meeting of the INL Board
The Board of the INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, meeting in Madrid on 16 June 2009, ratified the research collaboration agreement between the INL and MIT (see INL and MIT launch programme to recruit senior researchers), analysed the proposal to open calls for scientific equipment, examined the 2008 financial report , discussed the progress report presented by the Director-General, and noted the state of preparation of the draft INL rules of procedure.
The INL, which is currently being built in Braga, is a joint Portuguese – Spanish initiative. It is the first international scientific organisation on the Iberian Peninsula and the first, and thus far the only, nanotechnology scientific organisation with international legal status.
The Board comprises: Luis Magalhães, President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), João Sentieiro, President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), Carolina Rego Costa, Jurist, Assistant to the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, on behalf of Portugal, and José Manuel Labastida, Secretary-General for Science and Technology Policy, Montserrat Torné, Director-General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Innovation and Science, and Fernando Briones, Research Professor at the Higher Scientific Research Council Agency, representing Spain. The Director-General of the INL is Prof. José Rivas (text in Portuguese) and the Deputy Director-General is Prof. Paulo Freitas (text in Portuguese).
- Portuguese Experts in Conference on Sensor Networks Organized by OECD
On 8-9 of June 2009, in Lisbon, an OECD Experts Conference was organized, with the support of Portugal, on Using Sensor-Based Networks to Address Global Issues: Policy Opportunities and Challenges. The conference was chaired by Luis Magalhães, President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) of the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Vice Chair of the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP), the OECD committee involved in organizing the conference. This conference includes sessions on the following themes:
- Health and elderly care
- Protection of the environment
- Transportation
- Policy discussion: Public policies in innovation, research, privacy, security and interoperability.
- INL and MIT Launch Joint Program for the Recruitment of Senior Researchers
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), located in Braga, and MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology signed an agreement on 30 May 2009 for a joint Program for the recruitment of Senior Researchers and for collaboration concerning particularly promising research leading to scientific contributions of major international relevance for nanoscience and nanotechnology.
This cooperation agreement is the result of detailed preparation work of more than one year which has involved three bilateral meetings (1st INL-MIT Meeting, 2nd INL-MIT Meeting, 3rd INL-MIT Meeting) and numerous other contacts which have involved contacts from MIT and INL and which were mediated by the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education. The agreement foresees the joint hiring of 10 Senior Researchers for the INL who will have periods of working at MIT and at the INL on joint projects and jointly selected themes and which will have major relevance for nanomedicine and nanoscientific applications monitoring the environment, energy systems and control of food quality. The agreement was signed by the Director-General of the INL, José Rivas, and by the Dean of the School of Engineering at MIT, Subra Suresh.
- Portugal Participates in the OECD High Level Conference: ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change
The High-level OECD Conference: ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change takes place on 27th -28th May 2009 in Helsingør, Denmark. It was jointly organised by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the OECD in the scope of the OECD’s Information, Computers and Communication Policy Committee (ICCP) of which the President of UMIC, Luis Magalhães, is one of the Vice Presidents (see Meeting of the OECD’s Information, Computers and Communication Policy Committee (57th meeting) and President of UMIC elected Vice President of the OECD's ICCP Committee).
Portugal took part at the Conference after a suggestion tabled by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) to the OECD’s Information, Computers and Communication Policy Committee (ICCP) Secretariat, namely through Paulo Ferrão, Director of the MIT – Portugal Program, who presented an intervention on ICT innovations for sustainable urban infrastructures at the “Clean Technologies for Greener Urban Growth” session.
- “Microsoft” Invited Chair
On 25 May 2009 a public meeting took place at the Pavilion of Knowledge (Pavilhão do Conhecimento), Parque das Nações. Lisbon, held in the presence of the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago and the Director-General of Microsoft Portugal, Nuno Duarte, where the “Microsoft” Invited Chair project was presented in the area of information and communication systems applied to the health sector, thus setting forth one of the items envisaged in the Memorandum of Understanding between Microsoft and the Portuguese State on October 2008 (see Microsoft Research Chair and Microsoft Software for Higher Education Students).
- Visit of the Director of “Components and Systems” for DGINFSO to Research Units
On 14-15 May 2009, Thierry van der Pyl, Director of Components and Systems of the Directorate-General of the Information Society and Media (DGINFSO) of the European Commission visited Portugal at the invitation of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC). The Directorate-General of Components and Systems of DGINFSO is responsible for part of the support R&D activities in nanotechnology under the scope of the 7th Framework Programmeme for Research and Technological Development of the European Union.
Thierry van der Pyl was accompanied on his visit by Professor Luis Melo, Coordinator of the Portuguese Network for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology within the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT). During his two-day stay he visited 7 research units carrying out work in nanosciences and nanotechnologies, located in Taipas, Guimarães, Porto, Aveiro and Lisbon, that is, 4 units and two Associated Laboratories for Nanotechnology and 3 units which form part of Associated Laboratories in other areas (Materials Science and Engineering, Biotechnology and Health Sciences) which carry out significant work in nanotechnology.
- Launching of the Future Internet Forum in Prague
The launch meeting for the FIF – Future Internet Forum was held on 12 May 2009, focussing on R&D and innovation policies to enable Member States and Associate Countries to exchange best-practices and experience, to overcome fragmentation of efforts and to seek to forge cross-cutting synergies for programmes and initiatives financed at national and EU level.
The Future Internet Forum’s role and responsibilities dovetail with those of other existing groups and fora, such as the National ICT Research Directors Forum, the i2010 High Level Group, the CIP-PCP Committee, the FP7 ICT Committee (ICTC), the FP7 IST Advisory Group (ISTAG), etc. (Portugal is represented at the first three by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), and represented at the first two by the President of UMIC), with whom the FIF shall endeavour to encourage regular collaboration and information exchange.
- Conference on the Future of the Internet in Prague
As part of the Czech presidency of the European Union, the Future of the Internet Conference was held in Prague on 11 -13 May 2009. Its objectives were to analyse the strategic guidelines and trends shaping future Internet- and Online Mobility-based social and economic developments and to put forward ideas and projects of interest in this area.
This conference comes at a time when the Internet as we know it has been identified as being at a crossroads. Interactive and collaborative Internet applications are growing like wildfire. Mobility has emerged as a key social requirement. More than ever before, an increasing number of businesses and services are Internet-centred: transport, health, energy and the environment, oil and gas, banks, entertainment. However, people are increasingly realising that the current architectural Internet technologies may not be able to support such wide-ranging growth from an information service to a critical infrastructure on which lives and economies depend.
- 13th Meeting of the OECD Working Party on Indicators for the Information Society
The 13th Meeting of the OECD Working Party on Indicators for the Information Society (WPIIS) of the OECD’s Information, Computers and Communication Policy Committee (ICCP) was held on 23rd – 24th April 2009 in Paris.
The meeting agenda included information and proposals from Member States on ICT measures, the potential for synergies between private and official statistics, the OECD’s Innovation Strategy, the response to the economic and financial crisis for sustainable recovery, the outcomes of the PISA study on ICT and education, the key factors for household spending on ICT, analysis of the role of ICT in transmitting knowledge, analysis of innovation encouraged by ICT, a proposal to update the definition of eCommerce, measuring the relationship between ICT and the environment, ICT statistics and global trade, ICT indicators in the health sectors and gauging the social impact of ICT.
- EIT Call for Tenders for Knowledge and Innovation Communities
The 1st EIT- European Institute of Innovation and Technology Call for Tenders for Knowledge and Innovation Communities is open until 5 pm on 27th August 2009.
This call is intended to select the first two or three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) and encompasses the following three areas:
- mitigating and adapting to climate change
- sustainable energy
- information and communication society of the future.
- European Union National ICT Research Directors Forum, Prague
The half-yearly meeting of the National ICT Research Directors Forum was held on 20th April 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. This forum hosts Directors-General responsible for the Information and Communication Technologies area in the 27 EU Member States and the external associate countries of the EU Framework Research Programme.
- 1st Euro-Africa Cooperation Forum on ICT Research
The 1st Euro-Africa Cooperation Forum on ICT Research was held on 25th and 26th March 2009 in Brussels. It was organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Information Society and Media, with the support of the African Union Commission and the EuroAfrica-ICT project of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7).
- “Alcatel-Lucent” Invited Chair
The announcement (in Portuguese) of the opening of a public tender to enter into a contracted Programmeme with one or several scientific institutions working together with institutions of higher education has been made. This envisages the co-financing of the Alcatel-Lucent Invited Chair by Alcatel-Lucent Portugal and by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), within the scope of the Invited Chairs Programme of this body which was launched at the Science 2008: More Scientists for Portugal, session held at the University of Aveiro on 10 May 2008.
- Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (7th session)
The 7th seminar in the series on research into public ICT policies, held under the scope of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 17 March 2009 at the Instituto Superior Técnico.
The seminar, held within the context of the Partnerships for the Future, activity, had as its theme “How Do Mobile-Voice Operators Compete? IVQR Estimates” with the speaker Ricardo Cabral from the University of Madeira. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).
- Invited Chair “Atsutoshi Nishida”
The official announcement (in Portuguese) of the opening of a public tender to enter into a contracted Programme with one or several scientific institutions working together with institutions of higher education has been made. This envisages the co-financing of the Invited Chair “Atsutoshi Nishida” by Toshiba Portugal and by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), within the scope of the Invited Chairs Programme (in Portuguese) of this body which was launched at the Science 2008: More Scientists for Portugal (text in Portuguese) session held at the University of Aveiro on 10 May 2008.
- 5th Meeting of the INL Board
The Board of the INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, meeting in Lisbon on 1 March 2009, approved the adjudication proposals presented by the Director-General for the construction work related to fittings, networks, special infrastructures and external finishings and their respective fiscalisation, and also approved the proposal of the Director-General regarding adjustments to the duration and cost of the construction work for the building’s infrastructure, underground networks, roof and façades, and also approved the proposal to open tenders for scientific equipment. It also analysed and debated the report of the 2nd Meeting of the International Scientific Council of INL held on 23 January 2008, in Braga, considered the 2008 activity report, the 2009 activity plan and the proposed budget for 2009, and took note on and discussed the progress report presented by the Director-General.
- Call for tenders for Ambient Assisted Living for the Elderly Projects
The 2nd call for tenders in the scope of the AAL – Ambient Assisted Living Programme was launched on 11th February 2009, for R&D projects in Information and Communication Technologies Solutions for Advancing Social Interaction for the Elderly, which closed on 5th May 2009.
The Meeting of the Working Party on the Content of the 2nd Call for Tenders for the AAL Programme (text in Portuguese), which was organised on 11th – 12th September 2008 by the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), helped define the terms of reference for this call for tenders.
- OECD Workshop on Measuring Mobile/Wireless Service Data
The OECD-ANACOM Expert Workshop on Measuring Mobile/Wireless Service Data was staged on 19th -20th February 2009 at Culturgest, Lisbon. It was organised in the scope of the WPCISP – Working Party on Communication Infrastructure and Services of the OECD’s ICCP – Information, Computer and Communication Policy Committee. The objective of this workshop is to produce a methodology to obtain data on wireless broadband service subscriptions, categorising bandwidth differences and data transfer limits, and comparing prices.
- Sun Microsystems Portugal Research Network and the Sun Academic Initiative
The aim of the Sun Microsystems Portugal Research Network is to foster research experiments into new digital systems for Portuguese universities in the Sun Labs (California, USA) and for researchers from Sun Labs and North American universities in research centres in Portugal. A protocol to this effect was signed on 10 February 2009, at the Caparica Campus of the New University of Lisbon, by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, by the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luís Magalhães, and the Director-General of Sun Microsystems Portugal, Jorge Salamanca, in a ceremony attended by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago.
- Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 - 2013)
A call for tenders was opened in the scope of the Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (2007-2013) on 29th January 2009 for the following topics and objectives:
- ICT for health, ageing and Inclusion (ICT for patient-centred health services, Innovative eHealth tools and services in real life – learning together, ICT for ageing well / independent living, e-Accessibility thematic network);
- Digital Libraries (European Digital Library - services, European Digital Library – aggregating digital content in Europeana, European Digital Library – Digitising content for Europeana, Open access to scientific information, Use of cultural heritage material for education);
- 3rd INL – MIT Meeting
On 26 January 2009, a meeting took place in Lisbon between senior figures from the INL – Iberian International Nanotechnology Laboratory and MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with the aim of drawing up an INL-MIT Collaboration Programmeme, with long term strategic objectives and joint activities in the short term, thus continuing the contacts started at the 1st INL-MIT Meeting which was held on 31 October at MIT, in Cambridge, USA , and continued in the 2nd INL-MIT Meeting which was held on 22 November, in the Forum Ciência Viva 2008, in Lisbon.