Latest News
- PRESS RELEASE
- Digital Agenda: 10 successful years for GEANT EU-funded high speed research network
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(29 October 2010)The European Commission is marking the tenth anniversary of GEANT, the EU-funded high-speed research network. GEANT has made it possible for scientists both across Europe and globally to work together in real time on ground-breaking research. It gives 40 million researchers in 40 European countries access to the processing power essential to share massive volumes of data needed to study for example the smallest known particles with the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland or to tackle global challenges like finding a cure for epilepsy or setting up early warning systems for typhoons. With fast evolving technology, services and capacity, GEANT remains the most advanced research network in the world. The Commission, as part of the Digital Agenda for Europe, is committed to supporting and developing information and communications technology (ICT)-based infrastructures like GEANT so that vast amounts of digital information can be harnessed to benefit both our economies and society as a whole.
- PRESS RELEASE
- Bulgaria to make available radio spectrum in 169 MHz band; Commission closes infringement case
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(28 October 2010)The European Commission welcomes Bulgaria's commitment to advance measures for implementing the legal and technical requirements of EU law on the harmonised use of the 169 MHz frequency band. The Commission had asked the Bulgarian Government to clarify how it was complying with a Commission Decision which paves the way for the use of specific radio applications of social and economic value such as social alarms, hearing aids, smart metering or asset tracking. Bulgaria has indicated that, by the end of 2013, it will make available for general use this frequency band which is currently used for a private radio communications system. The Commission will monitor compliance with this commitment.
- PRESS RELEASE
- Commission requests Poland to comply with telecoms wholesale price rules
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(28 October 2010)The European Commission has today decided to request Poland to amend its national legislation to ensure full compliance with EU telecoms rules. In particular, the Commission considers that Polish rules on the setting of prices for wholesale telecoms services, which alternative operators have to pay to access the network of the dominant operator, are liable to cause uncertainty and be discriminatory for telecoms companies. Regulatory certainty is essential if operators are to provide Polish citizens and businesses with competitive services at competitive prices. The request to Poland is in the form of a so-called 'reasoned opinion' under EU infringement procedures. Poland now has two months to inform the Commission of measures taken to comply with EU telecom rules. If the Polish authorities fail to do so, the Commission may refer Poland to the EU Court of Justice.
- PRESS RELEASE
- Commission welcomes French regulator's moves against incitement to hatred; ends legal action
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(28 October 2010)The European Commission has welcomed the fact that France is now correctly applying the EU's broadcasting rules and has decided to close an infringement case related to incitement to hatred by Al-Aqsa TV. On a regular basis since 2006, Al-Aqsa TV broadcast programmes which incited hatred on the basis of religion, nationality and/or race. Such incitement is prohibited by Article 6 of the EU's Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive. Following measures taken against the satellite operator by the French audiovisual regulatory authority, the CSA, Al-Aqsa TV is no longer broadcasting in Europe via the Eutelsat satellite. The CSA acted following a 'letter of formal notice' under EU infringement procedures which the Commission sent to the French authorities in June this year. The Commission will continue to monitor new developments in close cooperation with the national authorities.
- PRESS RELEASE
- Commission welcomes implementation of EU rules on TV and video-on-demand by Austria; closes infringement case
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(28 October 2010)The European Commission has welcomed Austria's notification of measures to implement the EU Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive into national law. As a result, the Commission has decided to end the legal action which it had launched against Austria. All EU Member States had agreed to implement the modernised rules for Europe's audiovisual industry into national law by 19 December 2009.
- PRESS RELEASE
- Commission welcomes reinforcement of dispute resolution powers of Swedish telecoms regulator; closes infringement case
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(28 October 2010)The European Commission has welcomed the information that the Swedish telecoms regulator (Post- och Telestyrelsen, PTS) now has the requisite powers to solve disputes between operators over terms and conditions of interconnection agreements, in accordance with EU telecoms rules. The Commission has therefore closed the infringement proceedings it launched in January 2008. EU telecoms rules require that national regulators must be able, in the event of a dispute arising between companies which provide telecoms networks or services, to issue a binding decision to resolve the dispute, at the request of either party.
- PRESS RELEASE
- R&D and the economic crisis: top EU firms cut investment less than US rivals, but Europe still well behind
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(26 October 2010)The European Commission's 2010 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard" shows that R&D investment by top EU companies fell by 2.6% in 2009, even though sales and profits fell much more, by 10.1% and 21.0% respectively. The fall in R&D investment by leading players in the US, at 5.1%, was twice as sharp as in the EU, but the worldwide reduction was lower, at 1.9%. Japanese firms maintained their level of investment. Companies based elsewhere in Asia - China, India, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan - continued the high R&D growth seen in previous years. Japanese car maker Toyota is the world's biggest R&D investor (EUR 6.8bn) for the second consecutive year. Three EU companies feature in the top ten: Volkswagen, the biggest investor based in Europe with EUR 5.8bn, Nokia and Sanofi-Aventis. The Scoreboard covers the top 1400 companies worldwide.
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- ICT for sustainable homes
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17 November 2010 - 19 November 2010 Nice, France
This event aims to provide a key opportunity to meet, network and be informed about the latest developments in this field. The conference will be held in plenary and thematic sessions, with scientific workshops running in parallel. It will also include an exhibition.
Contact: aleksandra.trudeau@sigma-orionis.com
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- SciTech Europe 2010
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23 November 2010 Brussels, Belgium
The European Commission recently presented the "Innovation Union", setting out a strategic approach to innovation, driven by the highest political level. The Innovation Union will focus Europe's efforts - and co-operation with third countries - on challenges like climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population. It will use public sector intervention to stimulate the private sector and to remove bottlenecks which stop ideas reaching the market. These include lack of finance, fragmented research systems and markets, under-use of public procurement for innovation and slow standard setting. The Innovation Union is a "flagship" in the Europe 2020 Strategy. This event aims to promote breakthrough research, successful innovation networks and potential investment opportunities. It will bring together some of the leading figures in science, engineering and technology across Europe for a high level meeting on how we can turn science into commerce.
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- Cloud Computing
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18 November 2010 Brussels, Belgium
During this symposium the potential of Cloud Computing and its impact for different user segments (Consumer, small or home office, SME and corporate companies) will be highlighted. Which segments will most benefit from the transition to cloud computing? The symposium will also take a look from the service provider and system integrator side on what cloud computing will mean for their value chain and business models and how this will affect their customer relationships.
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- 4th International Computers, Privacy & Data Protection Conference - European Data Protection: In Good Health?
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25 January 2011 - 27 January 2011 Brussels, Belgium
This conference offers a forum for academics, practitioners, policy-makers and civil society where they can meet, exchange ideas and discuss emerging issues of information technology, privacy, data protection and law. Specific sessions will be dedicated to the issues of e-health, surveillance and law-enforcement, privacy in on-line service models and data breaches notifications. A call for papers has been launched (deadline : 16 November 2010)
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- Cognitive Support Technology For Older People
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15 December 2010 London, United Kingdom
Whilst many older people have no substantial health problems, the majority tend to have mild but progressive deterioration in their cognitive abilities. However, a growing body of scientific research indicates that cognitive training and stimulating activities can maintain cognitive function in older people for a longer period of time, helping them remain cognitively healthy. In this one-day workshop, the state of the art in cognitive support technology for older people will be explored. There will be discussions on how technology can help the elderly to preserve their quality of life, describing work which several research groups have done and are doing in the area of cognitive training and assisting technologies and outlining some of the challenges that lie ahead. The goal is to share best practice and to generate new conceptual frameworks for how to advance, promote and spread assisting technology research for older people.
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- Workshop on Understanding the role of ICT in the integration of Immigrant and Ethnic Minorities
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23 November 2010 Brussels, Belgium
The workshop will encourage the sharing of good practices and research studies in the area of ICT-enabled or supported participation of immigrant and ethnic minorities in lifelong learning, improved employability and social integration. A call for presentations has been launched (deadline : 5 November 2010)
Reminders
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- Conference on Privacy and Scientific Research
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23 November 2010 Brussels, Belgium
This conference, organised by the Belgian Privacy Commission, will take place in the context of the 2010 Belgian EU presidency and focuses on several target groups : the European data protection authorities, national and international academics and researchers. Two areas of scientific research will be examined: historical and clinical-medical research. The conference is primarily intended as a discussion forum on best practices in both areas, workshops will therefore be organised alongside the traditional plenary sessions.
- EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
- Translational Issues in BCI Development: User Needs, Ethics, and Technology Transfer
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2 December 2010 - 3 December 2010 Rome, Italy
The brain-computer interface (BCI) technology uses brain signals to directly drive external devices. Over the last decade, EEG-based BCIs have begun to provide basic communication and motor control abilities to people with severe motor disabilities, thus offering a unique opportunity to improve their quality of life. In spite of the remarkable advancement in computing capabilities (signal acquisition and processing, translation algorithms...), a large gap still exists between the promises of the neural engineering achievements and the clinical application reality in terms of BCIs as a daily use assisted device and as add-on intervention in the rehabilitation protocols. The goal of this workshop is to explore current and future scenarios in this field.
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