Amended proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development programme in the field of information technologies (1994 to 1998) (94/C 262/03) (Text with EEA relevance) COM(94) 243 final - 94/0081(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 A (2) of the EC Treaty on 6 June 1994)

The proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development programme in the field of information technologies (1994 to 1998) (COM(94) 68 final - 94/0081(CNS)) is amended as follows:

Recital 4

Whereas in accordance with Article 130i (3), an estimate should be made of the financial resources needed to carry out this specific programme; whereas the final amounts will be decided upon by the budgetary authority in accordance with the resources available under the financial perspective and the relative priority assigned to the area covered by this programme within activity I under the fourth framework programme;

Recital 5a

(new)

Whereas any increase in the overall maximum amount of the framework programme will depend in particular on the evaluation of the progress made in implementing the programme; whereas the progress made in this programme will be deemed satisfactory only if the first commitments of appropriations are effected within a reasonable period following the adoption of the programme; whereas that period may not exceed 12 months;

Recital 6

Whereas information technologies increasingly underpin economic, industrial and service activities and, in addition, they are becoming the vehicle for an increasing number of social activities; whereas they are vital for the competitiveness of all industry and services; whereas they are radically transforming a host of aspects of social activities and relations; whereas they could help to enhance the quality of life and improve working conditions, whereas they therefore require major efforts in research, the dissemination and application of results and education and training;

Recital 6a

(new)

Whereas the Brussels European Council of 10 and 11 December 1993 decided, on the basis of the White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment, to implement an action plan to develop information infrastructures at Union and Member State level; whereas information technology research provides the essential technological basis for the development of these emerging information infrastructures;

Recital 6b

(new)

Whereas, to enable the European Union to meet the challenges of the 'information society`, it is essential not only to develop the necessary technological basis; but also to facilitate the acquisition of information technologies by as many European citizens as possible, taking account of their socio-cultural diversity, and to promote, within society, the widest possible access to new information infrastructures;

Recital 7

Whereas this programme might contribute appreciably to increased competitiveness and new innovative activities and new jobs in the European Union, as indicated in the White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment if it is accompanied by new ways of organizing production and work and if it facilitates the acquisition of these new technologies by the greatest number of people;

Recital 7a

(new)

Whereas it is important that there be maximum user involvement in the various stages of RTD projects, so that their requirements are taken into account, and that they be trained to make use of the results thereof;

Recital 8a

(new)

Whereas software, component and subsystem technologies, multimedia systems, open microprocessor systems, high-performance computing and networking, technologies for business processes, integration in manufacturing and the corresponding long-term research were considered priorities in Decision .../.../EC (fourth framework programme);

Rectial 8b

(new)

Whereas, in view of the growing convergence between information technologies, telecommunications technologies and telematics, this programme should be implemented in close coordination with the research programmes in the area of advanced communications technologies and services, telematic applications of common interest and industrial technologies and materials in order to enhance their synergetic effect;

Recital 10a

(new)

Whereas the Commission's efforts to simplify and speed up the application and selection procedures and make them more transparent must be continued in order to promote the implementation of the programme and to facilitate the action which firms, and particularly SMEs, research centres and universities must undertake in order to participate in a Community RTD activity;

Recital 14

Whereas provision should be made for measures to encourage and facilitate the involvement of SMEs in this programme, in particular through technology promotion measures, as well as through cooperative research and through grants covering the exploratory stage of RDT;

Recital 15a

(new)

Whereas, in conjunction with the programme on targeted socio-economic research, research should be carried out not only into the impact of the new information technologies on the organization of production and of work, but also on the interaction between the European citizen and the 'information society`;

Article 2 (1)

1. The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of the programme amount to ECU 1 911 million, including a maximum of 7,2 % for staff and administrative expenditure.

The first appropriations shall be committed no later than 12 months following the adoption of the programme, unless good reason is given for exceeding this deadline.

Article 2 (4)

4. The budgetary authority shall determine the appropriations available the for each financial year in accordance with the availability of resources under the financial perspective and the scientific and technological priorities fixed by the fourth framework programme.

ANNEX I

Introduction, third paragraph, second sentence

The RDT areas proposed are those most vital to the development of the infrastructure, taking into account the need for selectivity and concentration of effort, and with the objective of improving the competitiveness of all industry and the employment situation in the European Union, and of enhancing quality of life for citizens, in particular by facilitating equal, universal access to the information infrastructure.

Context, second paragraph, first sentence

Information technologies now increasingly underpin all production and service industries and are also the vehicle for a growing number of social services such as health, education, transport and entertainment and culture.

Context, third paragraph a

(new)

Social issues are also at stake. The question of the European citizen's acquisition of these new information technologies is becoming a major political challenge. In future, therefore, special attention should be paid to the relationship between the citizen-user and the new information society. Three aspects are particularly important. In tomorrow's increasingly complex society, the individual will have a greater need for information and interactive services giving him access to information. 'Universal` access to this information environment must become a political priority, failing which the differences between social strata within a country, and between countries and regions, could widen.

Consideration should then be given to the vast potential for creativity and for the enrichment of social life, over and above the mere utilitarian and professional aspects, as a result of the interaction between the individual citizen and the information society. Lastly, the information infrastructure will play an increasingly important role in the implementation of public policies in respect of the European citizen's needs. Interaction between individuals and various forms of information and communication will become a determining issue in questions of public interest such as education and training, individual freedom of movement, and the ageing of society.

Context, sixth paragraph

The development of new services and new jobs will be heavily influenced by prompt action to put the new information infrastructure into place and by the pace of structural change within the economy, in particular with regard to reorganizing production methods and working time. The creation of new activities will also depend, however, on the ease with which the greatest number of users can gain access to the new information infrastructure.

Context, ninth paragraph, second sentence

The overall objective is to contribute to the healthy growth of the information infrastructure so as to improve the competitiveness of all industry in Europe and to help enhance quality of life for all citizens, in particular by facilitating IT acquisition and use by the greatest number and by promoting as wide as possible access to the information infrastructure.

Context, 11th paragraph a

(new)

In cooperation with the programme on targeted socio-economic research, multidisciplinary research will be conducted not only into the complex interaction between the citizen-user and the emering 'information space`, but also into the impact of the new information technologies on the organization of production and of work.

RTD activities, fifth paragraph

Focused clusters represent a major innovative modality in this specific programme. A cluster is a set of activities covering a number of technology areas but with a single well-defined goal and clearly geared towards the market or towards 'social demand`. It should make it possible to keep research focused on a specific objective while permitting a measure of variety in interdisciplinary activities. That will require new ways of managing projects for ensuring that there is a degree of continuity throughout the programme while at the same time permitting the necessary flexibility to respond to developments in technology, the market and social demand. As well as collaborative research projects, a cluster may incorporate other kinds of activity, as its specific needs dictate. These may include projects reflecting industrial or social priorities, networks of excellence, association of suppliers and users, cooperation with Eureka, coordination with national initiatives, international cooperation, dissemination of results, or training initiatives.

RTD activities, eighth paragraph

Software is a major element in the information infrastructure, and already represents over half the value of computers and embedded systems. The programme concentrates on techniques and best practice in a limited number of software technologies enabling the production of reliable, correct, efficient and usable software. Electronic components and subsystems are the physical building blocks of the information infrastructure needed for systems and applications across all industrial sectors. The programme concentrates on RTD into semiconductors in areas where European industry needs the capability and can be competitive, with a particular emphasis on advanced integrated circuits for specific applications; peripherals, and in particular the flat panel displays and compact memory systems; and the emerging field of microsystems.

RTD Activities, eighth paragraph a

(new)

Multimedia technologies will provide the human interface to the information infrastructure. The programme concentrates on the development and integration of technologies needed for the creation, manipulation, display, and storage of multimedia information. Multimedia data transmission and applications will be covered in the telecommunications and telematics programmes.

Software technologies, third paragraph

Modern information processing systems exhibit an increasing tendency towards the distribution of function and information, so as better to match the nature of the organizations that the systems serve. This evolution is evident not only in business data processing but also in industrial control and embedded systems. Most mass-market electronic products contain an increasing proportion of embedded software. The variety, functionality and complexity of such products is increasing considerably. User interfaces are becoming very important. However the development of dependable, extensible and usable systems with these characteristics presents a special challenge. Such systems are already radically reducing the cost of computing for users. For hardware and software vendors and service suppliers, this segment of the IT market is now forecast to become a key battleground by the mid 1990s. It is an arena in which, at this stage, no company dominates and in which Europe has strongly developed capabilities. Action in this area will help position European industry in this highly competitive and strategic market, as well as providing essential elements of the European information infrastructure.

Software technologies, seventh paragraph

A third area will aim to develop and experiment with emerging software technologies, in particular those for incorporating digital signal processing techniques into embedded software. These technologies are at the heart of new developments in the progressive 'digitalization` of the social infrastructure both for the individual citizen and for the less-favoured regions of the Community, since they are a vital factor for information infrastructures. As generic technologies they will also contribute to focused clusters involving high-performance computing and networking. This area also includes emerging software technologies providing reasoning capabilities, allowing intelligence, flexibility and adaptation, and supporting modelling, reuse, and sharing of various levels of knowledge. Frameworks and integration techniques to build cooperating or distributed intelligent systems and to model enterprise wide or application sector knowledge assets will be addressed. This RTD mid-term work will be driven by generic needs such as the development and demonstration of complex, distributed decision intensive applications which are present in every sector of human activities and which will have a positive impact on European competitiveness as well as on integration and cohesion.

Software technologies, tenth paragraph

The final area addresses technologies that will offer increased human comfort and security in dealing with information technology systems. An essential factor in the acquisition of these new technologies is the user-system interface. Dialogue with machines should become easier and more easily absorbed, including for non-professional users. This issue must be examined equally from both the user's and the supplier's standpoint. Human behaviour, in particular cognitive aspects, and artistic/creative ability constitute essential research topics. These research areas will also be important in terms of acceptance and acquisition of future multimedia systems. In achieving this, new opportunities are opended up with the promise of increased and wider markets for IT based products. RTD work will be carried out to better understand the user-system interaction, such as, inter alia cognitive modelling, interaction models, media and metaphors, and cooperative work. The development and consolidation of emerging technologies will be pursued. These activities will be closely related to upstream research, and will build on and contribute to standards and help maintain awareness of the potentialities of the new technologies.

Multimedia technologies, first paragraph

The objective of this domain is to develop and integrate information and communications technologies which underpin multimedia end-user systems and applications, with a view to offering users new services based on information technologies. Specific work will be undertaken on technologies for integrated personal systems, which will give the individual citizen personal access, whatever the location, to information infrastructure services and local information processing and, for this reason, represent one of the main market opportunities in the area of multimedia systems.

Multimedia technologies, second paragraph

The emergence of a market for multimedia systems, allowing the seamless integration of voice, video, text, sound, animation and graphics, has been predicted for a decade. The electronic networks emerging in Europe will strongly stimulate these services by rapidly broadening their content and geographical distribution. Only now have advances in microelectronics performance, software techniques, standards and digital communications allowed multimedia systems to become a reality. It is expected that multimedia systems will be taken up first in customized applications in business and the home, in education, manufacturing, financial services, medicine, transport, insurance, retail, tourism, the arts and entertainment, including games, films and television. New levels of productivity are expected to be achieved in business and education as a result of multimedia technologies.

Multimedia technologies, fifth paragraph

The domain will develop and integrate technologies to allow the creation, manipulation, display and storage of multimedia information. RTD includes the specification of appropriate components, for example video compression/decompression chips, high capacity optical memory and processors, and liquid crystal displays, and their integration into advanced multimedia systems; standards for multimedia storage, representation, and compression/decompression; and generic multimedia software. The area of software includes multimedia extensions to existing system software and tools; creative tools providing software objects in the various media - video, audio, animation, painting and drawing; and authoring tools which allow multimedia user-friendly custom applications to be built from the individual media objects. The integration of hardware and software elements will be demonstrated in systems for a variety of end-user applications. Software technologies which afford enhanced human convenience and security with regard to multimedia systems, and which will therefore play an important role, are an essential factor in the acceptance of multimedia systems.

Multimedia technologies, seventh paragraph

Work on integrated personal systems will concentrate on two topics: the development of technologies for multi-function, integrated user access devices capable of handling multimedia data, including the electronic wallet and personal group communicators; and the application of technological advances in the information provider industry to enable them to satisfy the ever increasing user demand for efficient services. These two aspects cover the application sides of the complete system solution that, for its full deployment, will rely on existing wireless network and telecommunication infrastructures, and will take into account new development activities in these areas which are covered in the telecommunications and telematics programmes.

ANNEX II

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF AMOUNT

>TABLE>

The above table shows the indicative allocations to long-term research, software technologies for components and subsystems, multimedia systems and the focused clusters.

It should be noted that this table does not represent a fixed and linear financial breakdown. Interaction will be fostered between long-term research, software technologies, technologies for components and subsystems, multimedia systems and focused clusters.

The specific programme will moreover seek to develop synergies with the specific programme in the field of advanced communications technologies and services, the specific programme in the field of telematic applications of common interest, and the specific programme in the field of industrial technologies and materials.

The breakdown between the different headings does not exclude the possibility that projects could come under several headings.

ANNEX III

Point 2.2, sixth indent

(new)

- Preparatory studies and pilot activities to study the interaction between user-citizens and information infrastructures and to experiment with new ways of using information technologies (in close collaboration with the programmes on advanced communications technologies and services and on telematic applications of common interest and with the programme on targeted socio-economic research).