The European Commission has presented its first plans for digitising industry, as part of the Digital Single Market project. The first initiative to start this year is the creation of a European cloud platform for the scientific community, aimed at sharing research data and making the EU a world leader in high performance computing.
In 2016, a European Open Science Cloud will be set up for European researchers and their global scientific collaborators by integrating and consolidating e-infrastructure platforms, federating existing scientific clouds and research infrastructures, and supporting the development of cloud-based services. Next year, all scientific data produced by projects under the EU's Horizon 2020 research and development programme will be made available by default on the cloud platform, to ensure that the scientific community can re-use the enormous amount of data they generate.
From 2018, the focus will shift to high performance computing, with the launch of a flagship initiative to accelerate the development of quantum technology, which is the basis for the next generation of supercomputers. By 2020, the EC aims to deploy a large scale European high performance computing, data storage and network infrastructure. This will include the acquisition of two prototype next-generation supercomputers, of which one would rank among the top three in the world, establishing a European big data centre, and upgrading the Geant backbone network for research institutions.
The aim is for the European Open Science Cloud also to be available cheaply and easily for businesses and public sector organisations to gain access to scientific research and share their own data. The public and private investment needed to implement the European Cloud Initiative is estimated at EUR 6.7 billion over five years, of which EUR 2 billion will come from Horizon 2020 funding.
The cloud platform is part of a broader agenda at the EC to support the digitisation of key industries and competitiveness of small businesses. In addition to coordinating national and regional initiatives on digitising industry across the EU, the Commission said it plans to invest EUR 500 million in a network of digital innovation hubs (centres of excellence in technology) where businesses can obtain advice and test digital innovations. It will also set up large-scale pilot projects in emerging technologies such as the internet of things, advanced manufacturing and technologies in smart cities and homes, connected cars or mobile health services.
Legislation will focus on supporting the free flow of data and clarifying ownership of data generated by sensors and smart devices. The Commission will also review rules on safety and liability of autonomous systems. Finally, it will present an EU skills agenda that will help give people the skills needed for jobs in the digital age.
Supporting the standards-setting process also will be a key focus of industrial policy. The Commission proposes focusing on five priority areas: 5G, cloud computing, internet of things, data technologies and cybersecurity. It will co-finance testing and experimentation of technologies to accelerate standards setting, including in relevant public-private partnerships. This will ensure timely delivery of standards to spur development and take-up of technologies such as smart grids, mobile health services and connected vehicles.
Separately it released the results of a public consultation on ICT standardisation, conducted as part of the Digital Single Market project. The majority of the respondents supported the Commission’s initial problem analysis on ICT standardisation, in particular the need to define clearer priorities for core ICT related technologies, the EC said. These recommendations to the Commission, along with the advice of the European Multi-Stakeholder Platform on ICT standardisation will form the basis for a Communication setting up priorities on ICT standardisation for the Digital Single Market.
Source: http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ec-plans-european-cloud-platform-for-research-data--1139196