The Cross-ETP Vision Document

Industrialists and academics, involved in several European Technology Platforms (ETPs), have come together to devise a strategy and action plan that will make the Future Internet an industrial, economic and societal success for Europe. Jointly the ETPs strongly recommend to the EU Commission, Members States and European Parliament to actively support their efforts to make the Future Internet a reality driven by European interests.

The ETPs will act

• Identify achievable business models based on the current ecosystem and based on disruptions brought by the Future Internet developments,

• Develop a dynamic roadmap for the key research challenges to be tackled, and establish a road map ensuring the take-up of the research results,

• Explore different R&D evolutionary and disruptive approaches, covering classical, clean-slate, and experimentally-driven,

• Further develop the cross-domain research fertilization covered by the set of projects working together in the Future Internet Assembly.

The ETPs however call on the European Union to:

• Provide the financial resources allowing for the strengthening of the industrial/public partnerships in R&D,

• Develop appropriate multi-disciplinary teaching and life-long training programs to ensure sustainable knowledge and skills acquisition facilitating innovation,

• Develop the an integrated and structured approach between National and European R&D programs so as to overcome the current fragmentation of efforts,

• Develop and implement the so-called push-pull model: Large investment in R&D accompanied by a solid and homogenous policy of leading edge markets development and public procurements,

• Stimulate a pan-European coordinated approach on matters relating to standardization and the single market,

• Provide the means to ensure global coordination of concepts and plans for the Future Internet to address industrial perspective,

• Raise awareness of all European citizens about the clear and visible benefit of the outcome of the investment in Future Internet development.

In conclusion, the ETPs consider that a European coordinated approach to the Future Internet, will allow to fully address the multiple technological challenges which are ahead. Turning these challenges into opportunities requires that bold steps are taken at European level. The ambition to meet the societal needs ahead in terms of economic growth, sustainable environment and quality of life, can only be realized, if the European Union provides its full support to this vision.