Interview with EUREKA ICT Cluster ITEA 2 Chairman Rudolf Haggenmüller

Rudolf Haggenmüller is the Chairman of one of EUREKA’s most successful and longest-standing technological clusters,ITEA 2, specialising in information and communication technology (ICT). Projects stemming from ITEA 2 encompass everything using software or the Internet, from mobile payments to online gaming. We met Haggenmueller at a high-level meeting where he presented the Cluster to a delegation of high-tech companies and research institutes from South Korea.

Dr. Haggenmüller, what is the competitive advantage of Europe's ICT sector compared with the rest of the world?
Rudolf Haggenmüller: First of all, Europe is not the most successful part of the world when it comes to developing great ICT products - with a few exceptions. Companies from the United States are ahead of the game. But when it comes to using ICT as an enabler, computers or software integrated in cars, in mobile phones, that is where Europe is very successful. Also, many of Europe’s most successful industries are dependent on information technology.

ICT projects account for 34% of all projects generated in EUREKA. Why is this technological sector so significant in EUREKA?
Rudolf Haggenmüller: One answer to this question is that ICT is a domain where cooperation is very important, almost natural, and cooperation is the essence of EUREKA. Another aspect is that many products that European companies are selling are based on ICT, even though it is not immediately apparent. Ultimately, the customer pays for a product, a service - not for the software in it, which is why it is not easy to understand the importance of those technologies.

You presented to a delegation from South Korea to Europe, including many companies from this country interested in participating in EUREKA projects. What is Europe's interest in cooperating with the rest of the world?
Rudolf Haggenmüller: It is important to understand that most of the growth in the global economy takes place outside of Europe. This is not a marginal phenomenon. Europe’s share of the global GDP is 30% today; by 2030 it will decrease to 11%. Not that the European economy is shrinking, but other parts of the world are getting a bigger share. Within the EUREKA network, we are lucky to have two of the countries that are in the top twenty of the fastest growing economies in the world -Turkey and South Korea.

Within ITEA 2, Turkey has largely compensated for the lower performance of other countries where investment in research has decreased. ITEA 2 is now developing partnerships with a few of the top 20 countries in terms of growth, located outside Europe, that are leading the way in ICT. South Korea is one of them.

What do you think is the most important trend in terms of ICT?
Rudolf Haggenmüller: Megacities. This is a big challenge but also a huge business opportunity.

How do you see the role of ITEA 2 in that future?
Rudolf Haggenmüller: We are very ambitious, we look to the future. We have what we call a living roadmap guiding us - a document that is constantly updated. We also want to shorten the time between the moment when the idea of a research project is presented to us and the funding of a project from twenty months to ten months. Finally we want to fully exploit the relationships we have with countries outside of Europe.