Newsletter December

gress organized by the Telecommuni-cations Research Centre of Colom-bia CINTEL, con-sidered, unique in the region and an excellent environ-ment to promote businesses. In this edition the thematic of ANDICOM was “Networks, Services and Content: Business ofthe next decade in Latin America”.

The objective of the Conference in Colombia was com-pleted due to the event allowed to inform the research, scientific and business communities of overall policy framework and initiate a positive process by encour-aging researchers and industry to provide input to the policy dialogue. Also, during the Conference, the differ-ent speakers showed the opportunities that Colombia has for cooperation between researchers of both com-munities (Europe and Latin America). Representatives from academia, research centers, industry and other stakeholders involved in the design or implementation of ICT policies participated in the conferences and dis-cussions.

Additionally, during the Congress, the Colombian Gov-ernment launched its Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Policy: VIVE DIGITAL Plan, which

Editorial

Issue number 3December 2010

Dear reader:

Thank you for choosing to read our newsletter. This edition will focus on the research dimension in the ICT public policy dialogues in Latin America, specifically in Mexico, Panama, Chile and Brazil, which are fostered by FORESTA Project.

For this reason, this newsletter will present you a high-light of the successful participation of Latin America at the ICT 2010 event, which took place from September 27th to 29th in Brussels, where Latin American orga-nizations and government representatives confirmed their support to consolidated research collaboration in ICT. In the International Village of the ICT2010: Digital-ly Driven, there was a stand of the project with the aim of facilitating liaisons with Latin-American organiza-tions present at the exhibition throughout the three-day event. Also in the framework of ICT 2010, there was a networking session “Empowering EU-Latin America ICT Collaboration”, one of the most participated of the event, which could gather all interested parties in EU-LA collaborative research.

Other space where the policy dialogue took place was the FORESTA Conference in Colombia, held in the framework of the 25th edition of the International ICT Congress ANDICOM from October 27th to 29th in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. ANDICOM is a con-

Editorial•

The EU-Latin American ICT • Gateway drove the successful participation of Latin America at the ICT2010 event

FORESTA in ANDICOM 2010•

The research dimension in • the Latin America ICT public policy dialogue

FOR• ESTA activities and results

http://www.forestaproject.eu

The EU-Latin American ICT Gateway drove the successful participation of Latin America at the ICT2010 event

Latin America has been strongly represented in this year’s edition of the DG INFSO biannual event, which took place from 27th to 29th of September in Brus-sels and was participated by more than 6,000 peo-ple from within and beyond Europe. A large delega-tion of Latin American organisations and government representatives has come to Brussels to confirm their support to consolidated re-search collaboration in ICT.

This is tangible evidence of the EC continuous com-mitment to the region, and of the enthusiasm of LA re-searchers about getting even more involved in Euro-pean programmes and push-ing forward cooperation with European counterparts. Expectations from both shores of the Atlantic were high and indeed all opportunities for network-ing and launching of collaboration in view, but not only restricted to, the upcoming Call 7 of the

ICT Work Programme were fruitfully exploited.

FORESTA, as part of the EU-Latin America ICT Gate-way cluster, has played a lead role in promoting and animating participation from the region. The Interna-tional Village of the ICT2010 exhibition catalysed the

event’s participants willing to internationalise their re-search, and the EU-LAC ICT Gateway stand there was busy in facilitating li-aisons with Latin-Ameri-can organisations present at the exhibition through-out the three-day event. The EU-LAC ICT Gateway also organised the network-ing session “Empowering

EU-Latin America ICT Collaboration”, one of the most participated of the event, which could gather all in-terested parties in EU-LA collaborative research. From one call to the next, the ICT work programme is in-creasing the involvement of Latin-American organi-


will lead the country’s technological leap. In this ses-sion the President of the Republic of Colombia JuanManuel Santos, participated virtually and attended all the Colombia Government Ministers. Therefore, ANDICOM was ratified as the space for dia-logue and interaction of the industry in the region which promotes the development of the sector.

Finally, you may find the main activities and summa-

ries of project’s results in this newsletter.

I would like to take this opportu-nity to wish you a prosperous 2011! Enjoy this edition.Yenny García OrtizFORESTA – Colombian project Coordinator


sations in specifically designed objectives targeting topics of relevance for the region; the European Com-mission stresses the importance of bringing both aca-demic and industrial players in European funded re-search projects, as stated by Mr. Mario Campolargo, Director of Emerging Technologies and Infrastructures for DG INFSO in his introductory word to the session.

The networking session was an opportunity to intro-duce the different activities carried out under FP7 in collaboration with Latin America, including a se-ries of presentations on excellent project ideas com-ing from the region and presented by speakers from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, among others.

The session represented a very lively networking op-portunity in view to ICT Call 7 which displays a number of topics relevant for the South American continent. The European Commission also has decided to increase the level of transparency in the work programme and call in-formation providing the person in charge of each objec-tive, so that proposers can contact the person in question in order to have preliminary feedback on project ideas.

The Latin-American delegations could find a further oc-casion to advance cooperation on the immediate after-math of the ICT2010 event, in a dedicated workshop organised with EULARINET INCO-NET project target-ing EU-LA research stakeholders and collaborations.

The workshop included the presentation of a dozen project ideas targeting the upcoming ICT programme, almost all of them originating from Latin American coun-tries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico) on a varied range of ICT themes. As well

as the ICT programme, which is generally open for Latin American participation, EU-LA cooperation is encour-aged also in other components of the FP7: Klaus Pendl, EC Project Officer at DG INFSO, remarked this frame-work and encouraged participants to take advantage of all opportunities for funding which are also present in other programmes such as Infrastructures, Health, KBBE (Knowledge Based Bio-Economy), Environment, Transport, Social Sciences and Nanotechnologies. Coming after three intense days full of meetings, net-working and presentations, the session confirmed the growing awareness of Latin-American research or-ganisations and their increased understanding of the FP7 priorities and dynamics. “Something that makes them very interesting partners – says Gian Michele Mosca from TESEO, coordinator of the FORESTA project– for future projects. Latin American research-ers are now much more aware on how to cooperate with Europeans, they know how to frame project ideas and present them in the right manner. The last years have contributed to consolidate a cooperation practice which in turn can attract other Latin American organi-sations to enter the FP arena. I think we have bright perspectives in front of us. We need to build on the momentum of large events like the ICT conference”.



1. COLOMBIA: ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, which aims was to identify, analyze and discuss Colombian current initiatives towards the development of the international cooperation and the expectations of Colombia’s participation within the in-ternational context. 2. DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES FOR R&D&I, which aims was to identify, analyze and dis-cuss the required global qualifications of Human Re-sources for undertaking R&D&I international projects.

The final topics were TRENDS IN ICT RESEARCH TOPICS - CO-LOMBIA AND EUROPE, and ENCOURAGING CORPORATE R&D&I.

With the development of the above activities, it was possible to achieve

the objective of the event according with the proposal of the project: to inform the research, scientific and business communities of overall policy framework and initiate a positive process by encouraging researchers and industry to provide input to the policy dialogue. In addition, during the event was presented the main op-portunities for Colombia to participate in cooperation projects/programs between researchers of both com-munities (Europe and Latin America). The attendants, representatives from academia, research centers, in-dustry and other stakeholders involved in the design or implementation of ICT policies, realized the great potential of Colombia to participate in these initiatives. Moreover, continuing with activities related to political

Under the ICT International Congress, ANDICOM 2010 was held FORESTA Project Conference, which aim was to promote dialogue concerning ICT policies, to generate a discussion about priorities and key trends of research in Information and Communication Tech-nologies (ICT).

The FORESTA event was held in two sessions (Octo-ber 27th and 28th) in the Americo Vespucci conference room at the Las Americas Hotel in Cartagena de In-dias, Colombia. It began with a wel-come by D. Manuel Martínez Niño, Executive Director of CINTEL; an overview of the project and the Seventh Framework Programme (7FP) by D. Mauro Bianchi, Co-founder and Managing Director of TESEO, and FORESTA coordina-tor; Dr. Oswaldo Castillo Navetty, Coordinator of the National Electronic Telecommunica-tions and Informatics Plan, who presented the COL-CIENCIAS policy in S&T&i; Dr. Kevin Flynn with The importance of updating the 3GPP standards; and Dr. Miguel Gonzalez from ITESM (Tecnológico de Monter-rey – México) by video conference, who presented the main examples of successful international cooperation in R&D: 20-year collaboration of the European Union with Latin America.

In addition, in the event took place panels which were developed with the participation of representatives from academia, industry and government:

FORESTA in ANDICOM 2010



Brazilian ICT Policies and its Institutional Structure

Priorities in the ICT research policy

The global government priorities are established by the Productive Development Policy (PDP). Its goals are focused on enhancement of productive structure effi-ciency, improvement of Brazilian companies’ capacity

for innovation and expansion of exports, as a means to achieve better economic efficiency, development and dissemination of technologies with a higher potential for competing internationally. To achieve these goals the priorities lines are focused on innovation and tech-nological development, exportation, attract external in-vestment and strengthening of SMEs.

Projects and programs foster by the Brazil-ian government that can be related to FP7 ICT themes

There are two main projects that can be pointed out as examples:

National Broadband Plan (PNBL): with the goal of spreading, by 2014, the provision of broadband access and to promote growth in the capacity of telecommuni-cations infrastructure.

Brazilian Digital Television System (SBTVD or ISDB-T International): SBTVD is a technical standard for digi-tal television broadcast used and developed in Brazil, and recently adopted by other countries, based on the


The research dimension in the Latin America ICT public policy dialogue

dialogue, in ANDICOM 2010 the Colombian Govern-ment launched its Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Policy: VIVE DIGITAL Plan, which will lead the country’s technological leap. In this ses-sion the President of the Republic of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, participated virtually and attended all the Ministers.

Finally, representatives from Telecom Italy, Future Centre Italy, COLCIENCIAS Colombia, University of Malaga Spain and the entrepreneurship Program from Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colom-bia, held a meeting to address the issues of trends in ICT research topics - Colombia and Europe, and en-couraging corporate R&D&I.

A shared understanding of common research and po-litical priorities in ICT is still a challenge faced by Latin America governments. FORESTA aims to contribute to increasing the involvement of Latin American organisa-tions in cooperation projects implementing ICT policies of common interest with EU counterparties that helps the identification of key joint research priorities for the Future inclusion of this themes on national agendas . The following paragraphs provide a summary of policies, capabilities and areas of research in ICT in Brazil, Chile, Panama and Mexico. You can read the complete report in Results section at FORESTA’s website where you can find complete analysis plus Argentina, Colombia analy-sis and two countries added Uruguay and Costa Rica.


ICT Chile: Research areas and capabilities

Japanese ISDB-T standard.

ICT projects in cooperation up to now in the FP7

FUTON (http://br4.in/Ogon3); CASAGRAS2 (http://br4.in/1LsSy); MYFIRE (http://br4.in/xU6DK); PRO-IDEAL PLUS (http://br4.in/Dvz2X); SYNAPTIC (http://br4.in/hoIBK); PRO-IDEAL (http://br4.in/JEl4r); 4D4LIFE (http://br4.in/p8Pcz); DYNALEARN (http://br4.in/baect); MEDNET (http://br4.in/Lz3mi); GRIFS (http://br4.in/OaPBk); TEFIS (http://br4.in/aJM5H).

Institutional structure that supports ICT projects The two main governmental organizational structures are represented in figures 1 and 2 below:

Fig. 1 - Structure and relations of governmental organizations with competences in ICT in Brazil. Source: http://bit.ly/ib7Nld

Brazil’s Industrial Development Agency

Fig. 2 - Structure of relation between governmental organizations and ICT industries in Brazil. Source: http://www.abdi.com.br/#

and the main regulatory ICT entities are: National

The National Commission for Scientific Research and Technology CONICYT, has developed a preliminary report about the capabilities and areas of research in information technology and communication in Chile.

This report has identified nine areas of national ICT research as those specified as research challenges in the work programme 2011 for the ICT theme of the EU FP7 Specific Programme “Cooperation”, namely; Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service In-frastructures Cognitive System and Robotics Alternative Paths to Components and Systems

Council of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, National Council of Informatics and Au-tomation, Secretary of Technologic Development and Innovation, Secretary of Informatics Policies and Bra-zil’s Industrial Development Agency.

The importance of the research dimension can be evaluated through the comprehension about the Bra-zilian programs to strengthen the competitiveness in ICT. These programs are stated in the document that guides the development of Brazil, and is designated: PDP –Política de Desenvolvimento Produtivo (Produc-tive Development Policy). Its main target is to establish guidelines for innovation and investments in order to sustain the growth of the country.The PDP covers 25 different areas of development. Fill information is available on site: http://www.mdic.gov.br/pdp/index.php/politica/setores/tecnologiaInfor-macaoComunicacao


National Council of Science & Technology

Ministry of Science & Technology

National Councilof Informatics and

Automation

Secretary of TechnologicDevelopment and Innovation

Secretary of InformaticsPolicies


3. Alternative Paths to Components and SystemsThis research area covers electronic and photo-nic components, integrated micro/nanosystems, multicore computing systems, embedded sys-tems and their monitoring & control and cooperat-ing complex systems. It complements the develop-ments undertaken in the ENIAC and ARTEMIS JTIs.In this area Conicyt has identified 11 research centers

which are distributed in 9 national uni-versities with a total of 22 researchers.

4. Technologies for Digital Content and LanguagesDigital content is the foundation of a knowledge based society; it is in digi-

tal content that knowledge is stored and from digital content that knowledge is extracted and exploited by individuals and organizations across modalities and languages. This makes it crucial for this resource to be readily and reliably accessible over time to Euro-pean citizens and enterprises and for every step in its lifecycle to be adequately supported and enhanced in response to changes in the technology landscape.In this area Conicyt has identified 20 re-search centers which are distributed in 13 na-tional universities with a total of 62 researchers.

5. ICT for Health, Ageing Well, Inclusion and GovernanceThis research area addresses advanced ICT research for sustainable high-quality health-care, demographic ageing, social and econom-ic inclusion, and the governance of our societies.In this area Conicyt has identified 10 re-search centers which are distributed in 6 na-tional universities with a total of 14 researchers.

Technologies for Digital Content and LanguagesICT for Health, Ageing Well, Inclusion and Governance, ICT for Low Carbon Economy, ICT for the Enterprise and Manufacturing, ICT for Learning and Access to Cultural Resources, and Future and Emerging Tech-nologies

1. Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service Infra-structuresThis research area covers key tech-nological developments in network-ing, digital media and serviceinfrastructures. It features a Public-Pri-vate Partnership on Future Internet tools and platforms for novel Internet applica-tion development and deployment. In this area Conicyt has identified 29 research centers which are distributed in 20 national universities with a total of 94 researchers.

2. Cognitive System and RoboticsResearch under this area will fuel progress for in-stance from robots that are largely pre-programmed, to robots that are programmable through teaching and learning; from robots that are largely tele-operat-ed, to robots that autonomously plan complex tasks; from robots with rigid components and structures, to those with dexterity and manipulation skills going be-yond human level; from robots that operate in tightly controlled environments, to robots that can properlyinteract and cooperate with people in real-world envi-ronments.In this area Conicyt has identified 16 re-search centers which are distributed in 13 na-tional universities with a total of 49 researchers.



and efficient access to information and knowledge, for educational, training and cultural purposes. It focus-es on advances in how we learn through ICT and on enhancing the meaning and experiences from digital cultural and scientific resources. It responds to soci-etal (active and responsible learners) and economic

needs of individuals and organizations (better skilled and creative workforce).In this area Conicyt has identi-fied 16 research centers which are distributed in 14 national universi-ties with a total of 58 researchers.

9. Future and Emerging TechnologiesFuture and Emerging Technologies (FET) fosters ex-ploratory research to open up new avenues cross the full breadth of future information and communication tech-nologies. It supports new and alternative ideas, concepts or paradigms of risky or non-conventional nature. FET aims to go beyond the conventional boundaries of ICT and ventures into uncharted areas, often inspired by and in close collaboration with other scientific disciplines.In this area Conicyt has identified 3 research centers which are distributed in 2 nationaluniversities with a total of 7 researchers.About Na-tional and European programmes that foster ICT R&D


6. ICT for Low Carbon EconomyThis research area explores how ICT can contribute to delivering a sustainable, low carbon society and help progress towards the Europe 2020 targets on climate and energy. ICT can assist in reshaping the demand side of our energy-dependant society, reducing energy consumption, and subsequently CO2 emissions, in par-ticular in electricity distribution, buildings and construction, transport and logistics, the public sector, rural areas and cities.In this area Conicyt has identified 5 re-search centers which are distributed in 5 national universities with a total of 4 researchers.

7. ICT for the Enterprise and ManufacturingThe Factories of the Future (FoF) initiative is part of the European Economic Recovery Plan launched in November 2008 to respond to the global economic crisis. This Public-Private- Partnership (PPP) aims at helping EU manufacturing enterprises, in particular SMEs, to adapt to global competitive pressures by improving the technological base of manufacturing across a broad range of sectors. The ICT contribution to this initiative aims at improving the efficiency, adapt-ability and sustainability of manufacturing systems as well as their better integration within business pro-cesses in an increasingly globalised industrial context.In this area Conicyt has identified 17 re-search centers which are distributed in 13 na-tional universities with a total of 40 researchers.

8. ICT for Learning and Access to Cultural ResourcesThis research area addresses the need for flexible

Fostering ICT R&D ca-pabilities in Panama

Panama is the only country that has developed a City of Knowledge (CDS), a space for research and inno-vation, where Communication and Information Tech-nologies are a driving force toward their objective.


Mexico public policy dialogue current status

In Mexico ICT development has been defined as a na-tional priority issue, and four main development points has been set to achieve this objective: 1) Development of Software Industry, 2) Development of Digital Sup-ply Chain and 3) e-Government. (Application develop-ment).

Institutional Infrastructure

The National Council on Science and Technol-ogy CONACYT as well as the State Councils on Science and Technology are the agencies in charge of the promotion of public funding for re-search and innovation. ICT research is conduct-ed mainly in public and private universities and public research centers, and CONACYT is the lead national funding agency. On the other side, the Federal Ministry of Economy has some funds focused to promote the industrial sector related to ICT, which are focused to foster the creation of new companies, assist in training courses oriented to rise competitiveness and promote exportation. Further-more, other public institutions are compromised with the development of these policies; among the main

It is the International Technopark of Panama (ITP), the CDS’s business area, in charge of the entrepre-neurial component where companies, research cen-ters, private and public projects cohabitate, always with a focus on innovation, a state-of-the-art technol-ogy component and highly qualified human resources.

The European Union strongly supports the International Technopark of Panama through a comprehensive sev-en-year project that involves a financial contribution of 7.7 million Euros for an action plan whose total amount is 11.3 million Euros. The general aim of collabora-tion is to develop and consolidate International Tech-nopark of Panama as a science and technology park with European presence within the City of Knowledge.” One focal point of the project is the promotion and development of science and technology transfer, ac-complished through an international Contest for In-novative Projects enhancing the country´s potential on collaboration among universities and companies.

This is not a minor fact since historically Latin Ameri-ca is characterized by the polarization of the Industry and Academia, so this promotion is an excellent way of joining forces and thinking in Market applications.Another programme that is taking place in Panama be-longs to SENACYT, the Science, Technology and In-novation Secretariat, which in March 2010 has been called an official announcement of a R&D Fostering Program. One of the thematic areas acceptable for a proposal is ICT, as a necessary way of enhancing lo-cal and regional capacities. This program has the goal of strengthening the integration of young researchers or recent graduates of doctoral research programs, to help develop new research and / or research groups


in companies, schools and academic institutions.Related to this, SENACYT also called an official announcement for increasing the presence of in-frastructure and equipment for executing R&D ac-tivities. The target is public and private institu-tions. For example, one successful case was an investment in the infrastructure of a Seismic Moni-toring Lab, where ICT tools played a relevant role.


and associations related to ICT segment: 21 people at-tended the workshop and 156 people followed it by the IPTV transmission. The event was directed to the proj-ect FIRST, but all participants received a folder about the project FORESTA. The project was highlighted by Moacyr Martucci Jr. (USP) during the Opening Ses-sion.

Argentina activities

The FORESTA Project was presented in the next three local conferences: 1) First Argentinean Confer-ence on Information and Communication Technologies (http://www.copitec.org.ar/catic/) – 21/10/10, 2) XVI Argentine Congress on Computer Science (http://www.cacic2010.edu.ar/) – 18-22/10/10 3) Argentinean Con-ference on Electronic Services (http://www.jase2010.

Brazil dissemination activities

On September 16, 2010 was carried out at USP (in São Paulo city – Brazil) the workshop “Technology Plat-forms for Future Internet”, with the presence of people representative from academy, large industries, SMEs

FORESTA activities and results

ones we can mention: The Scientific and Techno-logic Consultative Forum (FCCyT) (www.foroconsul-tivo.org.mx), Special Coordinator for the Information and Knowledge Society (CSIC)of the Federal Minis-try for Communications and Transport (SCT) http://bit.ly/ewaMZV, (COFETEL), Federal Commission of Telecommunications. http://www.cft.gob.mx/.

Instruments used to support ICT policy

Sector Promotion Program (PROSEC), ITA-Plus, Competitiveness Program of the Electronics Industry and High Technology, Program for the Development of Software Industry (PROSOFT) are mexican goverment instruments to strengthen the ICT industry through

The dissemination activitites conducted by project partners aims to externalize FORESTA messages and position it in order to do consciousness-raising with key players of ICT field in selected Latin American coun-tries, to help grow seeds in the research dimension of Public Policy Dialogue. Among last months main ac-tivities are following:



the elimination of importation tariffs on raw material or other inputs used in the ICT industry, stimulating the investment in electronic industry in Mexico, or the cre-ation of clusters or new ICT companies. New instru-ments were additionally created for the present ICT policy to foster innovation and collaboration between industry and research centres, but these are not sec-tor specific, namely ; Technology Business Accelerator (TechBA), Programs for Stimulating Innovation. Until now no special instrument or fund on a national level exists devoted to support research in ICT. The funds used for this purpose are the ones from the General Fund for Basic Research “Fondo Sectorial de Investi-gación para la Educación” SEP-CONACYT.

Contact us:For general information or any enquiry about the FORESTA project, please visit our website

or contact the project coordinator:Mr. Mauro Bianchi, TESEO Sprl,

Avenue de Tervuren 32-34, 1040 Brussels (Belgium)+322 230 10 90 – [email protected]

com.ar/) – 3-5/11/10

Coordination Meeting: PRO IDEAL PLUS –FORESTA, Colombia

The last September 15th, the FORESTA project in Colom-bia, which is coordinated by CINTEL, held a Coordina-tion meeting with the PRO IDEAL PLUS Project -which also related to political dialogue and is part of the Seventh Framework Pro-gramme (7FP), coordinated by the National University of Colombia – ARTICA, Medellin- with the objective to disseminate these projects, their scope and the next events of each one. In the Coordination meeting par-ticipated public entities related with the Science and Technology policy design and implementation, and international cooperation as COLCIENCIAS, the Min-istry of Information and Communication Technologies, the Ministry of Education, Communication Regulation Commission (CRC), National Television Commission

(CNTV), the agency of the Presidence: Acción Social, and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

FORESTA present at Mexico ICT Day

The Mexican ICT-day was performed during the 8th and 9th of November 2010 in Pachuca México in col-laboration with the National Contact Point for ICT, the FP7-project FIRST and Mexican coordination of the FORESTA project. The overall objective was to foster the international cooperation of R+D for ICT between Mexico and the European Union through the Seventh Framework-Programme (FP7).

During the sessions an interactive workshop to identify the ICT-priorities for R&D in Mexi-co was realized, as well as the constitution-meeting of the council for the first Mexican Technological Platform for ICT-companies initiated by the Mexican partners of the FP7-project FIRST.



Newsletter December

Documents

Transcript of Newsletter December