Project Communication N° 1 (Publication: January 2016)

The PICASSO website is currently under construction.

Towards new avenues in EU-US ICT collaboration

PICASSO, a new project on ICT Policy, Research and Innovation for a Smart Society is launched in January 2016.

Starting from January 1st, 2016, the new project PICASSO “ICT Policy, Research and Innovation for a Smart Society: towards new avenues in EU-US ICT collaboration“, funded under the European Union Horizon 2020 programme, will bring together EU and US prominent specialists with the aim of reinforcing EU-US ICT collaboration in pre-competitive research in key enabling technologies related to societal challenges of common interest – 5G Networks, Big Data, Internet of Things and Cyber Physical Systems – and to support the EU-US ICT policy dialogue.

Tackling societal concerns through collaboration in key technology areas is today’s challenge for both the EU and the USA. It is at the same time a generator of business opportunities and a source for wealth creation and growth.

Over the next 30 months, the PICASSO project will provide an exchange platform for EU and US experts through dedicated technology-oriented working groups in order to propose solutions for a smart society (smart cities, smart transport, smart energy…). In addition, a policy working group will aim at supporting the EU-US policy dialogue by contributions related to topics such as privacy, security, internet governance, interoperability, and ethics.

Based on an in-depth analysis of policy gaps in the three technology domains 5G Networks, Big Data, Internet of Things/Cyber Physical Systems, the analysis of industrial drivers, societal needs, and priorities for EU-US ICT collaboration, the working groups will propose measures to stimulate the policy dialogue in these areas. This synergy between experts in ICT policies and in ICT technologies is a unique feature of PICASSO with benefit to both the policy and the technology communities in the EU and the USA.

The PICASSO working group experts will meet regularly in order to prepare an Opportunity Report for EU-US ICT collaboration dedicated to large and small industries, academia and networks that will point out new avenues for EU-US research, innovation and policy collaboration. An “ICT Industry Toolkit” will be made available online and as a mobile application, providing information on funding programmes and collaboration opportunities (Horizon 2020 and US ICT programmes) in order to support company and academia exchange, and to provide access to reciprocal programmes.

Sustainable growth in the ICT sector is dependent on policy, standardization and regulatory issues. Policy experts from the EU and US who are brought together through PICASSO will identify policy gaps and prepare Policy Briefs that focus on specific aspects such as the potential needs for common standardization, for privacy and confidentiality or cyber security. An ICT White Paper will be developed, proposing the way forward to achieve fair competition and equal access to markets and technologies and means to help improve the mutual understanding of the differences in approaches and policies to overcome unproductive blocking situations.