ICT Policy Support Programme

Fifth Call for Proposals

 
The European ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP) aims at stimulating innovation and competitiveness through the wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens, governments and businesses.

The European Commission’s Information Society General Directorate has recently launched the fifth call for proposals in the framework of the ICT Policy Support Programme.

The fifth Call for Proposals published in the framework of the European ICT Policy Support Programme focuses on the following five objectives:

1. ICT for a low carbon and smart mobility
2. ICT for Digital content
3. ICT for health, ageing well and inclusion
4. ICT for innovative government and public services
5. Open Innovation for Internet enabled services

Each of the five objectives should be achieved through the implementation of one of the following types of instruments:

1) Pilot (Type A)
Building on initiatives in Member States or Associated Countries
This type of pilot focuses on implementing and demonstrating interoperability by creating
service operations between cooperating Member States and Associated Countries. Services should be already operational at national, regional or local level in the Member. The main outcome of this type of pilot is the implementation of an open, common interoperabile service solution based on an initial common specification agreed amongst participants in the pilot.
Type A pilot projects are expected to demonstrate service interoperability across the Member-States or Associated Countries participating in the pilot and to achieve a sufficient critical mass to realise significant and meaningful impact.
The duration of the pilot is expected to be up to 36 months within which there should be a 12 month operational phase. An operational phase is defined as the situation in which the interoperable services and technologies are functioning in a real-life setting.
The consortium should also comprise all necessary stakeholders in the value-chain (e.g. service and content providers, industries including SME\'s, end-user representatives, etc). The consortia must be comprised by a minimum of six relevant national administrations or a legal entity designated to act on their behalf from six different EU Member States or
Associated Countries.
The European Union’s funding for Type A pilots will be up to 50% of the costs related to work needed to achieve the proposed goal. The European contribution will typically range from 5 to 10 M€ per pilot.

2) Pilot (Type B)
Stimulating the uptake of innovative ICT based services and products and exploitation of digital content
Type B pilots aim at the implementation of an ICT based innovative service addressing the needs of citizens, governments and businesses. Pilot B may also address replication and wide validation of best practices where a given objective in the Work Programme explicitly requests or allows it.
The duration of the pilot is expected to be 24 to 36 months within which there should be an operational phase of at least 6 months.
The consortia must be comprised by a minimum of four independent legal entities from four different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
The European Union’s funding for Type B pilots will be up to 50% of total eligible costs (direct and
indirect). The European Union’s contribution for this type of pilot will typically range from 2 to 4 M€
per pilot.

3) Thematic Networks (TN)
Providing a forum for stakeholders for experience exchange and consensus building.
Thematic networks address a common theme by bringing together relevant stakeholders, expertise and facilities with the objective of exploring new ways of implementing ICT based solutions. The network may instigate working groups, workshops and exchanges of good practices with the aim of creating the necessary conditions and consensus on action plans, standards and specifications in view to ensure the widest future replication and codeployment of innovative solutions. The network should provide guidance for ICT-enabled
solutions and their roll-out and will highlight the remaining obstacles to be overcome.
The consortia must be comprised by a minimum of seven independent legal entities from seven different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
The typical Union contribution for each Thematic Network is 300-500K€

4) Best Practice Network (BPN)
Exclusively for the theme on "digital libraries" to support sharing of best practices in this field.
Best Practice Network (BPN) is a funding instrument open only for the theme "digital libraries" for a transition period (up to 2011). The objective is to promote the adoption of standards and specifications for making European digital libraries more accessible and usable by combining the "consensus building and awareness raising" function of a network with the large-scale implementation in real-life context of one or more concrete
specifications or standards by its members. Each BPN tries out, on a sufficient mass of content, one or more of the implementation approaches discussed in the network in order to draw conclusions on their validity and if necessary to adapt them.
The consortia must be comprised by a minimum of seven independent legal entities from seven different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
The Union funding for BPNs is limited to 80% of direct costs. No overheads may be claimed. The Union contribution for this type of project will typically range from 3 to 5 M€ per project.


The total available budget allocated for the fifth Call for Proposals published in the framework of the European ICT Policy Support Programme is 115,5 millions euro.

The deadline for submitting proposals for the fifth Call for Proposals published in the framework of the European ICT Policy Support Programme is no later than 1 June 2011

Further information on the fifth Call for Proposals published in the framework of the European ICT Policy Support Programme can be found on the European Commission\'s webpage