ACTIVITIES :: @Work :: FP7 Consultation

FP7 Consultation on Collaborative Working Environments supporting Business and Industry

new online: the results of the web consultation hereunder

On April 6th 2005, the Commission’s Proposal on “Information and Communication Technologies in the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for research” was approved.

In this proposal, ICT supporting business and industry was included as an application research theme. The text of this theme included “optimized work organisation and collaborative working environments”. The New Working Environments unit of the Directorate-General Information Society and Media of the European Commission has carried out FP7 Consultation process on Collaborative Working Environments supporting Business and Industry.

The FP7 Consultation process has included several activites, and as a result, several reports have been delivered, including the opinions of the experts and contributing to trigger a European debate on this topic. The events and publications are :

4th Collaboration@Work Experts group Meeting (January 2006)
& Industry-led workshops (February 2006)
Report on New Collaborative Environments 2020
Workshop on CWE supporting future enterprise (March 2006)
Report on CWE supporting future enterprise
Workshop on CWE supporting manufacturing (March 2006)
Report on CWE supporting manufacturing
1st Conference on CWE (May 2006)
Publication on the 1st Conference on CWE (available in June)
5th Collaboration@Work Experts Group Meeting (May 2006)
Publication of the 5th Experts group meeting on ‘Future and Emerging technologies for CWE’
Web consultation Results .pfd, 284 KB (consultation closed on 7/7/2006)
Workshops on Future ICT Building Blocks for Collaborative Environments (October 2006)

More than 200 people participated in our consultation activities so far, and more than 350 stakeholders are attending the first conference on Collaborative Working Environments supporting Business and Industry.

The response to our FP7 consultation process has demonstrated a huge interest by EU IT industry users and academia. (More than 200 people participate in our consultation activities so far, and more than 350 stakeholders are attending the first conference on Collaborative Working Environments supporting Business and Industry).

Expert have highlighted that fostering collaboration is the best way to take the full advantage of today’s competitive environment (inexpensive and expansive network capacity and digital convergence) and make it unique for the organization. ICT solutions should foster collaboration in three levels of collaboration:

Within the organization (multiculturalism and diversity have to be considered)
Between companies and governments (including coopetition, time and space is an issue in this type of collaboration across the globe)
With communities of practice/interest/experts (IPR issues)

Consulted experts have stressed the importance that people have to be empowered and motivated via ICT solutions to collaborate to make innovation happen. The final goal of any eCollaboration initiative would be to boost innovation.


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Last update: 07/12/2006