Photonics and nanotechnologies are highly multi-disciplinary fields and two of the principal enabling technologies for the 21st century. They are key technology drivers for industry sectors such as information technologies, communication, biotechnologies, transport, and manufacturing. Photonics/nanophotonics and nanomaterials/nanotechnologies can benefit from each other in terms of new functions, materials, fabrication processes and applications. The MONA Roadmap identifies potential synergies between photonics/nanophotonics and nanomaterials/nanotechnologies. The challenge of mastering nanoelectronics and nanophotonics science and technologies at an industrial scale is of utmost strategic importance for the competitiveness of the European industry in a global context.
Posts Tagged ‘electronics’
EFP Brief No. 158: MONA: A European Roadmap for Photonics and Nanotechnologies
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011EFP Brief No. 136: Policy Options for the Improvement of the European Patent System
Saturday, May 21st, 2011The purpose of the project “Policy options for the improvement of the European patent system” has been to assess whether the European patent system adequately fulfils its purpose of stimulating social and economic welfare through the enhancement of technological innovation, and to investigate if improvements can be made. It was commissioned by The European Parliament’s STOA panel (Scientific Technology Options Assessment) from the European Technology Assessment Group (ETAG) and carried out on its behalf by the Danish Board of Technology. The main target group, therefore, was the Members of the European Parliament.
EFP Brief No. 134: Future Challenge for Europe: Providing Security and Safety to Citizens
Saturday, May 21st, 2011As stated in the recent EC Communication on ‘Reforming the budget, changing Europe’ (SEC (2007) 1188), the European Union has a key role to play in ‘providing security and safety to citizens’. Especially in the aftermath of 11th Sept. 2001 security related issues are becoming an increasingly important facet of global society and have an increasing impact on economy and science. The issues are manifold and include protecting citizens and state from organized crime, preventing terrorist acts, and responding to natural and manmade disasters. Civil security issues are becoming more and more important to governments and national economies across the globe, and the EU is no exception. The EC sees security research as an important policy objective, which started in 2001 with a Preparatory Action on Security Research (PASR) and is now the tenth theme of the FP7 Cooperation programme. Security and safety technologies are seen to have applications in many sectors including transport, civil protection, energy, environment, health and financial systems.
EFP Brief No. 115: SMART Perspectives of European Materials Research
Friday, May 20th, 2011Modern materials sciences take as their objective to develop and tailor materials with a desired set of properties suitable for a given application. Next to conventional approaches, predictive modelling and simulation is more and more used. This results into a rapidly increasing knowledge base, allowing for more precise experimental set-ups, more precise simulations and tailoring of goal-oriented materials. They play a key role in the value chain and in product innovation. Although limited profits are made from materials, materials are technology enablers for new high added value products and therefore a key in innovation acceleration. More success and increased opportunities for applications is the outcome. The SMART project aimed at providing support for future strategic decisions in this sector to foster the strengthening of the European Research Area.
EFP Brief No. 114: The Singularity Scenario
Friday, May 20th, 2011Although the term ‘Singularity’ or ‘Technological singularity’ has already infatuated both the scientific and the science fiction com-munity alike throughout the 20th century, there is reason enough to report about the ongoing activities in this area. So far it is possible to distinguish between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related issues and the prospective fusion of emerging technologies such as nano-, bio-, information and cognitive technologies (NBIC) – also referred to as converging technologies. It is assumed that there will be an immense technological and consequently economic shift once those technologies surpass the boundaries of human intelligence in the 21st century.
EFP Brief No. 81: Aufbruch Musik – German Music 2020
Friday, May 20th, 2011The music sector in Germany is going through major changes. Global technological and societal trends combined with major cuts in public spending for the cultural sector need to be faced. Right now these upcoming changes seem to be met by agitated melancholia instead of orchestrating these changes to a desired state of the future where music is established as an energy source for societal and personal development. The time to refer to the glorious German music transition rectifying public spending for ‘high quality’ music seems to be coming to an end. The border between different music lines has become more and more blurred.
EFP Brief No. 77: Technology for Industry Foresight – Kocaeli 2012
Friday, May 20th, 2011Kocaeli is one of the leading industrial cities in Turkey. Technology Foresight exercise for industry in Kocaeli aimed at shaping the future of the region through university-industry collaboration by anticipating changes, developments and advancements in manufacturing technologies and increasing the effectiveness and competitiveness of the industry in the region.
EFMN Brief No. 77 – Technology for Industry Foresight – Kocaeli 2012
EFP Brief No. 74: Ukrainian STI 2025
Friday, May 20th, 2011The key objective of the Ukrainian national ‘foresight-type’ program is to form priorities in STI – Science, Technology and Innovation with long-term (15-20 years) and medium-term (3-5 years) perspectives and to determine the most promising areas for R+D, which could receive state financial support. The second main goal of the program is to create a background for a permanent system of state-sponsored foresight studies in the country.
EFP Brief No. 72: Dutch Hospitality 2020
Friday, May 20th, 2011The Dutch Board for the Hotel and Catering Industry developed an online innovation database with innovations currently available for the hospitality sector. However, due to the large amount of new products, services, processes and business models identified there is no overview. In addition, the database is centered on innovations already available within the hospitality sector, while the large part of innovation origins from related sectors. The further development of the innovation database questions a wider view on several sectors to conduct an overview of the major developments in innovation within the hospitality sector.
EFP Brief No. 63: South African Benchmark 2020
Friday, May 20th, 2011The overall goal of this foresight study is the identification of global technological trends, which will influence the competitiveness and future development of South African industries over the next 15 years. The study specifically focuses on innovation areas that hold the potential to reduce industrial dependency on foreign technology. Broad-based recommendations are formulated, intending to support the formulation of policies, strategies and programmes aimed at growing South Africa’s technology and innovation base.
