French IT services firm Capgemini said it has been selected to coordinate the Next Generation IoT project in Europe as part of the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative.
In a statement, Capgemini said that the main aim of this initiative is to reinvent and reshape the Internet. The project, called IoT- NGIN, will focus on enabling Europeans to harness the power of the Internet of Things, the French firm said.
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, IoT- NGIN brings together 19 partners from industry and the world of scientific and academic research and will last until September 2023. Some of the partners in this initiative include ABB, Atos, Bosch, Ericsson, Sorbonne University, Aalto University and RWTH University.
IoT has been identified by the European Commission as one of the technologies that is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the economy, with a positive impact on both citizens and businesses in Europe. Capgemini noted it is working on innovative research concepts alongside industry partners, research centers, specialized small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Living Labs to shape the future of IoT in the continent.
In order to create an interoperable IoT foundation at the European level and to ensure the security and privacy of data from connected objects, the IoT-NGIN project relies on technologies such as blockchain, autonomous machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, 5G communications optimization, artificial intelligence and secure Edge cloud.
“The European Commission wants to leverage innovative technologies to develop solutions that support industry and are rooted in European values. This project is a great opportunity that demonstrates the strengths of European players in this high-impact technological evolution,” said Ghasan Bhatti, IoT-NGIN project coordinator at Capgemini.
Capgemini is also responsible for communicating on the project and promoting its results to all stakeholders in the IoT community. With this new collaboration, Capgemini is continuing its missions to support the European Commission, which began in 2019 with the PHOENIX project, focused on solutions for the security of energy infrastructures in Europe.
Last month, Capgemini opened a 5G solutions facility in San Francisco, in the US, to help enterprises boost their adoption of 5G and edge technologies. Located at Capgemini’s Applied Innovation Exchange (AIE), the center claims to provide a co-creation environment for innovative 5G-based applications.
A statement said it will focus on the creation of high-value use cases and personalized solutions through workshops with clients and other partners. It will support network equipment providers, communication services providers, enterprises and industrial firms, it said.
Capgemini has similar 5G lab facilities in France, Portugal and India.