Cluster Brochure

At a Glance
EAST-HORIZON Partners
EAST-HORIZON and EECA-2-HORIZON are two
complementary projects funded by the European
Commission under the ICT Programme of FP7. Together
they form a Cluster whose joint aim is to develop
strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships in ICT
between the EU and the Eastern Europe and Central
Asia (EECA) countries.
EAST-HORIZON Coordinator
PLANET S.A. (Greece) - www.planet.gr
EECA-2-HORIZON Coordinator
Q-PLAN International Ltd (Greece) - www.qplan-intl.com
Projects Duration
February 1, 2014 - July 31, 2016 (30 Months)
Website
www.eeca-ict.eu
EECA-2-HORIZON Partners
Programme
FP7-ICT
Contact
EAST-HORIZON
Mr Raphael KOUMERI, rkoum@planet.gr
Mrs Leta PSALTI, lpsalti@planet.gr
EECA-2-HORIZON
Mr Kostas BOUGIOUKLIS, bougiouklis@qplan.gr
Mr Iakovos DELIOGLANIS, delioglanis@qplan.gr
www.eeca-ict.eu
EAST-HORIZON and EECA-2-HORIZON have received funding from the
European Union’s 7th Programme for research, technological development
and demonstration under grant agreements No 611063, 610793.
EU-EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
Gateway for ICT Research and Innovation
Overview
EAST-HORIZON and EECA-2-HORIZON are two
complementary projects funded by the European
Commission under the ICT Programme of FP7. Together
they form a Cluster whose joint aim is to develop strategic
and mutually beneficial partnerships in ICT between the EU
and the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) countries
and to assist ICT R&I policy dialogue, paving the path for
EU-EECA successful strategic partnerships.
The overall goal is to strengthen the links and boost
cooperation among the research and industrial
communities of both regions to exploit emerging
opportunities for international partnerships (both under EU
and EECA R&I programmes)
Both projects started in February 2014 and build upon
the invaluable legacy in EU-EECA cooperation in the area
of ICT that was created by the PICTURE project (FP7ICT CSA, completed in May, 2014) and its preceding
projects, namely: ISTOK-SOYUZ, SCUBE-ICT and EXTEND
(completed in 2011).
Both projects will closely coordinate and align their activities
to maximise their synergy and impact. This will lead to the
best possible benefits for the EU and the Eastern Europe
and Central Asia countries by supporting organisations
from both sides to prepare successful collaborative
proposals for joint projects in the ICT R&I sphere, within
HORIZON2020 and national EECA ICT RTD&I programmes.
Four ICT sub-areas are targeted and strengthening
collaboration with relevant European Technology Platforms
(ETPs) will be at the centre of the Cluster activities:
1. Photonics, related to Photonics21 ETP
2. High Performance Systems, related to ETP4HPC,
NetWorld2020, EpOSS ETPs
3. Big Data, Software and Services, related to NESSI ETP
4. Interactive Content, Media and Creative Industries
related to NEM ETP
Objectives
Objective 1 - Increase awareness on emerging opportunities
for international cooperation under both EU and EECA R&I
programmes:
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Organisation of info-days and training sessions in all EECA
countries on emerging opportunities under H2020-ICT
Creation of a publicly accessible Help Desk to offer guidance
and support on the procedures of participation in H2020
Hands-on support to EECA researchers towards their
involvement in EU-funded projects
Development of a web portal acting as an on-line source of
relevant information
Supporting European organisations/individuals involvement in
R&I programmes from the EECA countries
Objective 2 - Link and bring together leading ICT research and
industrial actors from both regions in areas of mutual interest
and added value for EU - EECA cooperation:
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Development of a publicly accessible on-line database with the
R&I profiles of EECA ICT R&I actors
Creation of sustainable “ICT Communities” in the targeted
ICT sub-areas to link and bring together in cooperation key
actors from both regions, thus supporting the development of
strategic partnerships
Integration of EECA organisations into relevant European
networks, such as European Technology Platforms
Objective 3 - Support policy dialogue and cooperation between
the EU and EECA countries, contributing to the setting up of
joint initiatives, enhancing their ICT R&I collaboration
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Analysis of the ICT research priorities in the EECA countries
Identification of key ICT areas of mutual interest
Organisation of a series of policy/consultation meetings
Expected impact
The Cluster aims at increasing strategic partnerships
between EU and EECA countries to jointly address
common ICT R&I interests and priorities, and to influence
the creation and exchange of ideas, policy making and
launching of actions. This includes:
1. Supporting dialogue and increasing cooperation
between EU and EECA countries
2. Creating multi-disciplinary groups of ICT Researchers,
IT Industrial and Commercial Companies and ICT
Users that share common research interests for the
generation of new RTD ideas and/or participation in
EU RTD activities and projects
3. Increasing the number of H2020 proposals submitted
that involve EECA organisations
4. Contributing to the formation of future H2020 Work
Programmes to better address key societal and
industrial challenges in the EECA region
5. Matching industrial priorities/challenges to ETPs and
the ICT Policies for Europe
EECA
Countries
• Establish R&I priorities in EECA countries
• Attract the interest of EU research and industrial ICT actors to enhance
collaboration with their EECA counterparts
• Enhance networking capacity of EECA institutions and establish international
links
• Raise awareness of EU ICT research and industrial actors on emerging
opportunities for international collaboration under R&I programmes in the EECA
EECA
Countries
• Set up dialogue channels between EU and EECA research and industrial
communities during the workprogramme preparation period of Horizon 2020
• Raise awareness of EECA ICT R&I actors regarding H2020 funding opportunities