Forum on Information Society

by András Siegler

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The 2nd Forum on the information society, jointly organised by the European Commission and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) took place on 12-13 September in Prague, Czech Republic. As a follow-up of the 1st EU/CEEC Forum in 1995, this event aims at ensuring that the CEEC are able to fully benefit from the developments of information and communication technologies (ICT). Four panels have prepared the Prague Forum and ERCIM was represented in the Panel on R&D and Experimen-tation by two of its Executive Committee members, Jean-Michel Chassériaux and András Siegler. The other three panels have dealt with infrastructure financing, regulation and standardization. This article summarizes the recommendations of the panel on the role of research, development and experimentation.

One of the key aspects of the evolution of the most advanced industrial countries in recent years has been the trend towards the 'Global Information Society' (GIS), a trend driven by technology development and the globalisation of trade, but with profound social, cultural and economic implications. It is vital to ensure that the new information society develops throughout Europe, both in east and west, and through co-operation between them. To establish high-performance pan-European communi-cation networks and to create the conditions for a cross-border transfer of data and information is in the common interest of all European countries.

The CEEC have already started on the way towards the information society. What is needed is to speed up this process, to increase investment and to coordinate efforts within and between neighbouring European countries. The CEEC are confronted with a difficult two-fold task; on the one hand to support re-industrialisation and on the other to provide the basic structures for 'post-industrialisation'. This is not only an economic necessity but also a part of their pre-adhesion strategies. National priorities will have to reflect the different ways towards the Global Information Society.

The primary driving forces behind the information society are technological and economic and its most immediate benefits will be the increased competitiveness it can provide. In order to enhance their competitive position in global markets, the CEEC will have to improve productivity and the quality of their products and services. This enhanced competitiveness will be triggered by the application of new Information and Communication Technologies.

Due to the current transition problems, it is not easy for the CEEC to initiate and strengthen the innovation process solely using their own resources. The European Union should be willing to support national strategies with the aim of integrating the region successfully into the Global Information Society. The aim is to build true pan-European networks so that all European countries can reap the benefits according to their own priorities. For this, it is necessary:

• to maintain and strengthen R&D in the CEEC
• to foster R&D cooperation between the CEEC and the European Union
• to promote joint experimental Global Information Society projects and programmes that create European networks and services
• to adopt an appropriate legal framework for the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector.

The R&D programmes of the European Union are open to participation by the CEEC. During the past few years, many projects in the CEEC have been supported by the research budgets of the European Union, above all through stabilisation and improvement of the research environment. In addition, the Fourth Framework Programme has been providing, since the end of 1994, direct support for a number of projects.

Legally constituted bodies carrying out R&D activities, such as research centres, industrial concerns, small- and medium- sized companies, universities etc., which are established in the CEEC, are eligible to participate in the Framework Programme activities either under the specific programme for International Cooperation (INCO), or under the specific programmes designed for cooperation within the EU (Activity 1) on GIS-related topics (ESPRIT, ACTS, Telematics, etc.).

The relatively high barriers to European research support have so far only permitted a comparatively low CEEC participation in the research programmes of the European Union. To achieve real improvements, both better information is necessary (on experience and knowledge about EU programmes, institutions and procedures in CEEC, potential CEEC partners) and the question of co-financing of joint projects needs a satisfactory resolution. R&D consortia need a guarantee that the necessary funding resources under the Fourth Framework Programme, PHARE or under national programmes are indeed available. The very limited funds of the INCO-COPERNICUS programme are, however, not sufficient to provide a satisfactory resolution to the problem of co-financing in order to achieve a stronger CEEC participation in R&D programmes of the European Union.

The aim of EU R&D programmes is to foster industrial competitiveness, both inside the EU and in cooperation with outside countries and organisations. They are not designed for the purpose of development aid, whether in the CEEC or anywhere else. There are, however, EU programmes which do address this area - in the context of the CEEC, the relevant programme being PHARE. PHARE funds are available for R&D activities and infrastructure, depending on the national priorities of the CEEC. Besides that, awareness building, the promotion of Information and Communication Technology standards and joint pilot actions for building the Global Information Society may be funded. These funding possibilities should be more frequently used and more specifically targeted.

R&D must be application-oriented. The idea of using pilot projects to build small-scale versions of 'real-life' systems is of crucial importance so as to test the new applications in a more realistic setting. It is not sufficient to simply develop advanced ICT as building blocks and tools for the GIS. Pilot projects, linking R&D, existing infrastructure and new use of existing technologies into the implementation of practical applications, should aim at demonstrating the potential of the GIS and stimulating its realisation. In building the GIS, experimental pilot actions are crucial to:

• raise public awareness of the necessity of the GIS
• shape technologies to better fit user requirements
• create a 'critical mass' for the demand of new services - manage industrial change.

The Brussels conference of the G7 in February 1995 has contributed considerably to the process of building public awareness, in particular due to the pilot projects which the G7 countries agreed upon. The European Commission has taken the leadership in four of them. Other pilot projects, as described in the Bangemann report, are being carried out at both national and European levels. Much experience gained in this area is relevant to the CEEC who will, in some cases, be able to directly join in these projects.

Of particular relevance to the CEEC is the G7 Global Inventory Project (as well as the European inventory), which aims at producing a database of existing national and international projects, studies and calls relating to the information society. The G7 Global Marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises project is especially important for SMEs in the CEEC, not only for international suppliers, using electronic commerce, but also to build market-oriented distribution systems and to develop new services. Special efforts are therefore needed to integrate SMEs from the CEEC into such projects.

Further cooperation possibilities are developing from industrial applications of ICT, eg in the framework of the Information Technology programme of the EU (ESPRIT). These are 'first user actions' to test innovative applications of information technologies. This requires a close collaboration between R&D and industrial users. How the integration of partners from the CEEC could be efficiently promoted in such projects needs to be considered. At the same time, this would present an important contribution to the restructuring of the economies of the CEEC and support the diffusion of best practice.

The use of networking, for example, can assist cooperation between administra-tions at an international level. Such systems are already widely used within the EU - for example in the pooling of police intelligence; in monitoring the safety of foodstuffs, in providing customs information, etc.

The development of such information systems in the area of public administration within the CEEC and with the EU is critical to the pre-adhesion strategies of the CEEC. In this regard, the existing funding possibilities of PHARE should be fully used for the building of European networks between national administrations. The exchange of expertise between the EU and the CEEC on new innovative approaches to modernise public services needs to be supported.

The main requirement in information society-oriented pilot actions is to bring together the right partners. Even more than with research, such projects need public-private partnerships. The public authorities act mainly as a catalyst in building the information society; the most decisive role must be played by private investors. It is therefore necessary to strengthen public-private partnerships as part of the economic reform process. The willingness of telecoms and industry ­p; hardware companies as well as services, software and multimedia enterprises ­p; to invest in the CEEC is high. Building the appropriate framework for private investment in the CEEC is a crucial political task which needs to be supported in the context of industrial cooperation with the EU.

Please contact:
András Siegler - Vice President
National Committee for Technological Development, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 118 4125
E-mail: andras.siegler@sztaki.hu