EU-India Joint ICT Research And Innovation Programmes

European Union (EU) and India have been engaged in many joint projects and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related project is one of them. The project is named as Euro India Joint ICT Research and Innovation Programme. This Euro India ICT Cooperation is presently being implemented as the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under which both EU and India are jointly working.

As the name suggests, it is a Research and Innovation Programme. The Programme must cover within its fold Research and Innovation in the fields like ICT Legal Frameworks, Cyber Security, Cyber Forensics, E-governance, E-Commerce, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), E-courts, E-Infrastructure and many more Techno Legal aspects of ICT.

Further, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) issues are also relevant for Euro India projects. IPRs issues pertaining to newly created IPRs, Technology Sharing and Transfer, Joint IPRs creations, etc also deserve to be clearly mentioned and regulated.

At the national level as well, the ICT Policy of India must be so formulated as to make the ICT Research and Innovation in India successful. Presently, there is no ICT Policy of India and we need a Techno Legal ICT Policy for India that can meet the requirements of contemporary times.

Even EU must look forward for a wide variety of Partners, Collaborations and Consortiums in this regard. The Euro India Joint ICT Research and Innovation Programmes must not be limiting in any manner and wide variety of Experts and Institutions must be taken within the fold of this Programme.

Euro India ICT Cooperation And Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)

The first Digital Agenda Assembly of European Union would be held on 16-17th June 2011. The Digital Agenda is one of the seven Flagship Initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy to make European economy’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure robust, resilient and effective. The aim of European Union is to become the most dynamic competitive knowledge-based economy in the World.

The Digital Agenda Assembly would discuss many crucial and far reaching digital issues. These include open data and re-use of public sector information, e-identity and e-signatures, interoperability and standards, cyber security, financing and facilitating broadband projects, partnership-based ICT research and innovation, importance of social networks, mainstreaming e-learning in education and training, access and digital ability, smart mobility, ICT and management of creative content, IPv6 deployment in Europe, online safety of children, spectrum for wireless innovation in Europe, cloud computing strategy for Europe, digital literacy and e-inclusion, e-government driving innovation, etc

ICT has to play a key role if Europe wants to succeed in its ambitions Europe 2020 Strategy. Issues like E-Governance, E-Commerce, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and E-Courts, Technological issues of IPRs, etc must also be discussed in this or subsequent meetings.

These issues have a direct bearing upon Indian ICT environment as well. Euro India ICT Cooperation is presently jointly undertaking the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) that bundles all research-related EU initiatives together under a common roof playing a crucial role in reaching the goals of growth, competitiveness and employment. FP7 is supplemented by the new Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), Education and Training programmes, and Structural and Cohesion Funds for regional convergence and competitiveness.

The broad objectives of FP7 have been grouped into four categories: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities. For each type of objective, there is a specific programme corresponding to the main areas of EU research policy. All specific programmes work together to promote and encourage the creation of European poles of scientific excellence.

The outcomes of the first Digital Agenda Assembly of European Union should be so applied that they may help in the growth objective of EU. India also needs to update its ICT Infrastructure as it is still lagging far behind. Rather than becoming a “Research Partner”, India must work in the direction of becoming an ICT Superpower.