Brussels, 29/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 29 September, the European Commission and the Brazilian government announced that they had stepped up their cooperation on research and development in information and communication technology (ICT). They jointly launched a €10 million call for proposals which will allow researchers and industries in the EU and Brazil to exchange their R&D strengths in key technological areas, such as Future Internet experimental facilities and security, microelectronics and micro-systems, networked monitoring and control, and e-Infrastructures. The EU and Brazil are each contributing €5 million, which will be used to fund five pairs of interlinked projects. “The emerging challenges our societies and economies face today need to be tackled at the global level. Working hand-in-hand, European and Brazilian teams will develop interoperable technologies, solutions and standards that will have a significant impact on our life and the environment and will boost growth in both regions,” said Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
The call for proposals, presented at the ICT 2010 “Digitally Driven” event organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers in Brussels, builds on existing successes in EU-Latin America cooperation, for example, the ALICE project which helped in the initial set-up in 2003 of RedCLARA, the first regional Latin American research and education network directly linked to the pan-European research network. This network has allowed 600 Latin American research institutions to increase cooperation with more than 3,000 European institutions and an even greater number throughout the world. The coordinated call will offer new possibilities for EU and Brazilian researchers to join forces on key areas such as Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE), to enhance internet security and trust. They will also be able to work together in the development of advanced micro-systems and demonstrate their viability in such areas as environment, food quality, agriculture, logistics and public transport. The Commission has also invited researchers to apply for a specific support action to investigate the feasibility of direct transatlantic broadband connectivity through deploying new and more powerful optical fibre cables. For more information on this call for proposals, go to: http: //cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/ (I.L./transl.rt)