Information concerning the FP7 project
The Digital World Forum on Accessible and Inclusive ICT project, is
a FP7 project in the field of
Information and Communication Technologies
( ICT-2007.9.1 International Cooperation:
Development-related ICT research exploitation and cooperation roadmaps ),
that started on January 2008.
The partners to the project are ( by importance of funding ) :
The overall goal is to assess the existing low-cost technologies, their
potential, their challenges, and the direction to explore to tackle them.
The project works towards reducing the digital divide and social exclusion
The core objective of the FP7 project is to make state-of-the-arts on low-cost technologies,
build roadmaps with stakeholders to leverage access to ICT in Developing Countries, and
create the conditions for their future successful implementation,
to identify and federate local and regional expertise, and to leverage
the direct involvement of local organizations
Another goal is to strengthen EU competitiveness and ensure Europe global
leadership in ICT, and to pave the way for strategic partnerships in
view of gaining access to
knowledge, developing standards and interoperable solutions
Three domains are distinguished : mobile, laptop and network access.
In order to achieve each of the project's scientific and technical objectives.
The work plan is
structured into five work packages:
· WP0: Management: This work package includes regular reporting mechanisms
as well as the organization of project reviews and the contact with the Commission and
the Project Officer.
· WP1: Mobile Web Applications: This work package will participate to the
achievement of the two objectives "Identify actors (stakeholder, initiatives, consumers...)
of the mobile, laptop and access domain and engage them in DigitalWorld" and "identify
opportunities, challenges and potential actions to tackle them in the mobile, low-cost
laptop, access domain". This work package will explore how the existing EU leadership
in mobile telephony could be exploited to work against the Digital Divide. It will
investigate more specifically the factors that could leverage the adoption of the next
generation of mobile applications, based on Web technologies to ensure a wide
development and deployment of mobile-based eServices. It will also setup the
appropriate cooperation structure (W3C offices) that will facilitate the future
implementation of the identified roadmap by the leading partner W3C.
· WP2: Low-Cost Laptop: This work package will participate to the achievement
of the two objectives "Identify actors (stakeholder, initiatives, consumers...) of the
mobile, laptop and access domain and engage them in DigitalWorld" and "identify
opportunities, challenges and potential actions to tackle them in the mobile, low-cost
laptop, access domain". This work package will explore how the EU could play a
proactive and visible role in the area of low-cost laptops, where flagship initiatives are
currently lead by players from non-EU countries.
· WP3: Low-cost Broadband Access and Infrastructure: This work package will
participate to the achievement of the two objectives "Identify actors (stakeholder,
initiatives, consumers...) of the mobile, laptop and access domain and engage them in
DigitalWorld" and "identify opportunities, challenges and potential actions to tackle
them in the mobile, low-cost laptop, access domain". This work package will explore the
key R&D or standardization actions that could lead to a better interoperability between
the different existing access methods in order to leverage low-cost broadband availability
in rural areas.
· WP4: Dissemination and Outreach: This work package serves to achieve the
objective "disseminate the roadmaps towards industry communities, political levels, EU
circle, and local, regional and international forum". It will ensure a wide dissemination
of the roadmaps defined in the previous technical work packages towards communities
that could initiate appropriate actions to implement the proposed program. It will also
organize events to try to reach out all concerned communities.
ENSTA/KNIS is involved in WP2, exploring the mobile/laptop convergence, and WP4,
at the level of international organizations.
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