News archive 2007

We are very pleased to announce the successful selection of the specific support action entitled COJAK, a proposal submitted at Call1 under the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7). The COJAK project which will be a follow-up of, and organised in full continuity with the ASIACOOP initiative, aims at contributing to the development of dialogue between stakeholders and of cooperation projects between the EU and South Korea. The official project start date is January 1, 2008.
The organisation of a “EU-SouthKorea Cooperation Summit on ICT” in Europe in October or November 2008, represents just one out of a set of activities planned to be carried out within this project.
More detailed information on the planned activities within the COJAK project will be regularly provided on this website. So, stay tuned with www.EuroSouthKorea-ICT.org!

The Terms of Reference of the “Korea-EU Cooperation Forum on ICT” have been agreed on the occasion of meetings held last week in Seoul between the European Commission and the Ministry of Information and Communication Republic of Korea (MIC).

The event will take place on June 16-17, 2008 in Seoul preceding the Ministerial OECD meeting held at COEX, in which European Commissioner Viviane Reding is expected to participate. On June 18, European delegates will be invited to visit leading ICT research teams in Daejeon, where a FP7 information session will be organised as well.

The precise organisation of this Forum can now develop and information on various aspects of the event (overall structure, draft programme, admission criteria, registration, etc.) have already been posted on this web site (see the Events section).

A delegation of the European Commission is visiting Seoul to participate in the 1st EU-Korea Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology on 9 July 2007. The European delegation is headed by Mr. Jose Manuel Silva-Rodriguez, Director General for Research. During their visit to Korea, they will also speak at the "EU-Korea Science & Technology Forum 2007" and visit prominent research institutes in Daejon.

EU-Korea Science & Technology Forum 2007 at the Emerald Room, 2nd floor, Lotte Hotel (Sogong) on 9th July 2007 (08:40-09:00 registration)

The purpose of this conference is to introduce the EU Seventh Research Framework Programme and to explore ways to enhance cooperation between Korea and the European Union in the field of science and technology. Based on the EU-Korea Cooperation Agreement on Science and Technology concluded in 2006, both sides are endeavouring to create synergies in their research activities.

The Research Framework Programme is the European Union's main instrument for funding research and development. The 7th Framework Programme (FP7) runs from 2007 to 2013 with a budget of 53.2 billion euros over its seven-year lifespan. It is the largest funding allocation yet for such programmes. During the conference, the changes in the international dimension of the FP7 will be presented, and an exchange of views will take place on recent research trends, in particular in nanotechnologies, nuclear fusion research, and information and communication technologies.

The afternoon session will focus on the career development of researchers. The Marie Curie Actions aspect of FP7 provides for the career development of researchers by promoting mobility, and many parts of the programme are open to Korean researchers. The Korea Science and Engineering Foundation will also describe its efforts to support talented researchers. Please click here to download the conference programme.
Through this conference, we hope to establish a common understanding on which sectors, and in what forms, future collaborative actions and joint projects could be based.

For more information, please contact
Ms. Hayeon Park, Press & Information Officer
Tel. 3704-1716, mobile phone 010-3199-6008,
e-mail: Hayeon.Park@ec.europa.eu

The www.EuroSouthKorea-ICT.org web portal, devoted to S&T cooperation between the European Union and SouthKorea in the ICT area, has been officially put online today. Developed in the framework of the ASIACOOP initiative (a support action funded by the European Commission under the FP6 research programme), it will be maintained in close liaison with the International relations Unit of European Commission's DG Infso. The platform will provide full details on the “Euro-SouthKorea Cooperation Forum on ICT research” to be organised in Seoul in March 2008 under the aegis of the European Commission and of the South Korean authorities. It will more generally provide information and services addressing and supporting cooperation on ICT research between the EU and South Korea.

The Commission launches today a public consultation to help strengthen the global position of Europe's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industries by ensuring access to global markets. The consultation will run until September 17, 2007 and is open to all stakeholders, including industries, research community and consumer organisations. The Commission seeks to capture stakeholder views on market access and on regulatory issues so as to refine its EU strategy for international cooperation on ICT.

“Our ICT industry in Europe needs to think and be global", said the EU's Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. "While we have been working hard to create a single telecoms market in Europe, we must not lose sight of the global picture. There are further markets to take abroad for Europe's ICT industry if we strengthen its competitiveness and remove barriers to trade in third countries. Today's consultation therefore seeks to identify trade barriers and business opportunities that exist worldwide for Europe's ICT industry".

Internationally, the stakes are high for Europe's ICT industry: the EU represents approximately 30% of the world ICT market. Electronic communications, embedded computing, micro- and nano-electronics, micro-systems and ‘smart' integrated systems are Europe's main industrial and technological strengths. Europe also has 6 of the world's top 10 telecommunications providers and 4 of the top 10 equipment manufacturers.
To help Europe's ICT industries sell their products and services globally, and increase market share, the Commission believes in open markets and free trade. The Commission in particular is working for further progress in multilateral trade relations under the World Trade Organisation, especially regarding trade in services, which is essential for Europe's ICT sector.
With the public consultation launched today, the Commission aims to formulate a more ambitious, targeted international EU strategy for ICT that explores new markets for EU industries, improves the competitiveness of Europe's ICT industry in global markets and promotes EU interests worldwide.
To request input for this international strategy (which will be published in the first half of 2008), today's consultation asks interested stakeholders for input in three areas:
- Regulatory, market access, trade issues, looking at regulatory cooperation, standards, intellectual property rights, access to spectrum and smart radio tags (RFID);
- Research and innovation, focusing on ICT research collaboration, research infrastructure and the role of ICT in global challenges such as energy efficiency, ageing, healthcare etc.;
- Social aspects, such as network and information security, internet governance, the digital divide between poor and rich countries, and improving existing bilateral agreements with non-EU countries.

Today's public consultation is part of the overall i2010 initiative to create an information society for growth and jobs (see IP/05/643).
The public consultation full document is available here.
For more on the EU's Information Society's international dimension: MEMO/06/461.

The Institute for Information Technology Advancement (IITA) pre-announced an event entitled the “International Symposium on IT R&D”, which will take place in Seoul most probably on October 29 or 30, 2007. It will be hosted by MIC and provides the opportunity to establish a Global Research Cooperation Network, to introduce your organization to Korean and international participants and to learn about advanced IT R&D policy and direction.

Please see the symposium programme draft here.

Yesterday and today, several bilateral meetings have taken place in Seoul in order to discuss the various aspects of the preparation of the “Euro-SouthKorea Cooperation Forum on ICT Research” to be organised in Seoul in March 2008. The meetings involved, on the European side, representatives of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Korea, of DG Information Society and Media and of the ASIACOOP initiative (a project funded under the FP6 research programme and supporting the organisation of this Forum). Fruitful discussions have developed with the representatives of South Korean authortities. It is expected that common views on all event aspects can be reached in the short term, which will allow starting the promotion of the event inside the European and South Korean ICT communities.