The internet is widely recognised as one of the most successful technologies in human history, revolutionising the way we live and work, so much so that society and the economy are increasingly dependent on the services it offers. The internet is both a huge sector in its own right and an enabler for almost every other industry and sector of the economy, not to mention its important social and environmental roles.

However, much of the architecture upon which the internet is built was designed as far back as the 1970s, and for radically different purposes. And this infrastructure is beginning to creak under the strain, hampering the web's potential to develop and meet future demands.

"The internet economy will [grow] to 5.8 % of GDP, or almost €800 billion, by 2014. But we are only at the beginning of the internet era," says Neelie Kroes, the European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda. "Europe must mobilise all its talent to keep ahead in this sector, not only to ensure Europe's future competitiveness and to unlock European creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, but also to safeguard European values like privacy, openness, and diversity."

Numerous technological, business, societal and governance challenges need to be met to ensure that the Future Internet is, indeed, future-proof. Given the high stakes involved and the strategic importance of the internet to the EU's future competitiveness and sustainability, finding the optimal solutions requires the active participation of both the public and private sectors and close coordination between them.

Key facts and figures at a glance
  • Total private-public investment: €500 million
  • Total European Commission contribution: €300 million
  • Number of countries involved: 29 for both phases
  • Number of partner organisations: 194 (phase 1) and 133 (phase 2)
  • Duration: five years, from 2011 to 2016
  • Number of phases: three
SMART FINANCE

For this, the EU's investment in FI-PPP is vitally important. "We should use public finances in a smart way to leverage industry investment," notes Commissioner Kroes, warning that "if we don't invest and innovate first, our global competitors will".

The partnership seeks to hammer out a common vision for all players that serves the goals of the landmark Digital Agenda for Europe, which is part of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The FI-PPP is focusing on developing innovative Future Internet technologies for smart infrastructures, business processes, services and applications. The initiative is working to put in place, harmonise and implement all relevant policy, regulatory and political frameworks, with a view to facilitating the creation of an online European Digital Single Market and the emergence of a true knowledge-based society.

More specifically, the FI-PPP aims to bolster the effectiveness of business processes and infrastructures, as well as to develop effective business models that boost the competitiveness of European industry in such diverse areas as telecommunication, mobile devices, software and services, and content provision and media.

In terms of technology, the FI-PPP is marshalling its resources to create what are known as generic enablers, which are key technologies supporting the development of a wide range of applications.

This industry-led, user-driven initiative is divided into three phases. Phase 1, which ran from April 2011 to March 2013, focused on usage area requirements, as well as the development and evaluation of test architectures. The current phase 2, which commenced in April 2013 and will run until March 2015, will prepare for and run early trials, as well as develop core functionalities.

The final phase will begin in the spring of 2014 and last until the summer of 2016. It will provide stable infrastructure for the large-scale trials aimed at proving the viability of the various concepts developed. It will also create a sustainable ecosystem for SME-driven innovation.

MONEY TALKS

In July, the European Commission announced the release of €100 million to finance the expansion and take-up activities of phase 3. This tranche of funding is destined for around 1000 startups and other innovative firms and will be used to develop apps and digital services in areas like transport, health, smart manufacturing, energy and media.

"We need more innovation and a more digital economy in Europe and that starts with a better ecosystem for startups," continues Commissioner Kroes. "We're putting our money where our mouth is."

And when it comes to the Future Internet, money does not only talk and walk but it also creates new opportunities, jobs, wealth, social values and more.

  • FI-PPP - http://www.fi-ppp.eu/ and http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/future-internet-public-private-partnership
  • Twitter @FI_PPP@EC_FI_PPP

"We should use public finances in a smart way to leverage industry investment - if we don't invest and innovate first, our global competitors will."
(Neelie Kroes, VP of the European Commission, responsible for the Digital Agenda for Europe, press release, Brussels, 3 May 2011)

Bringing smart energy online

Europe's energy sector is entering a period of major flux. The grid is becoming more integrated across national borders, at one end of the scale, and at the other end, more decentralised, as distributed energy generation, mostly through renewables, becomes more common.

This implies that the grid needs to support both the distributed and centralised generation of energy, which involves adapting to volatile supply streams, such as those from wind and solar generators.

On the consumption side, patterns are also changing. Electric cars, for example, will require new distribution channels, while greater energy efficiency in the home and industry will affect conventional consumption.

Managing this complex, dynamic supply and demand chain is becoming a logistical and technological challenge. The Future Internet, which enables new functionalities while reducing cost, is expected to play a central role in managing the smart energy grid of tomorrow.

Towards that end, FI-PPP is financing a number of smart energy projects. These include Future Internet for Smart Energy (FINSENY), which gathered together major players in European ICT, energy manufacturers, utilities and academia.

The project sought to analyse energy-specific requirements, develop solutions to address these requirements, and prepare for a smart energy trial during FI-PPP's phase 2. FINSENY officially concluded its activities in April 2013. The project released its final reports on sustainable processes, a first set of standards, reference architecture, as well as information security and data privacy.

A follow-up project, FINESCE, started work in 2013, and will run until 2015. This second-stage project is working to develop an open IT-infrastructure for developing and offering new app-based solutions for smart utilities.

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