ITEA: call for embedded and distributed software projects
ITEA (Information Technology for European Advancement) is Europe’s premier cooperative programme for pre-competitive research and development in embedded and distributed software. ITEA is a major contributor to the European Research Area (ERA), supporting coordinated national funding submissions within the EUREKA framework. The programme is open to partners from large industrial companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as research institutes and universities.
ITEA projects are bottom-up, industry-driven initiatives, involving complementary R&D from at least two companies in two different countries (according to EUREKA rules). However, the number of industrial partners, both in terms of technology development and lead users, is usually higher. Projects involve between 40 and 300 person-years and typically last up to three years. Consortia should include partners from the three main categories: large industries, SMEs and universities / research institutes.
ITEA’s 7th call for projects opens on 19 January 2004 and project outlines must be submitted by 2 April 2004. Interested parties that want to start defining the general direction and scope of a project, look for potential partners and investigate local funding possibilities, can find useful information on ITEA’s website http://www.itea-office.org/. All 33 countries in the EUREKA framework give financial support to ITEA projects. To find out about local support rules and opportunities, those interested should get in touch with representatives of their National Public Authority. A list of addresses is published on the website under “Project Calls”.
ITEA Calls for Projects involve a two-step procedure. First, short Project Outlines (POs) are submitted. For those that are approved, the next step is to submit a Full Project Proposal (FPP). These are evaluated and, if approved, given the ITEA (EUREKA-endorsed) label. Project participants can then apply for funding in their own countries. ITEA is now halfway through its eight-year programme (1999…2007). The current set of 49 projects – of which 23 are completed, 25 are running and one is in its start-up phase – with some 300 partners from 18 countries has established a solid basis for further development. Many of these have led to the creation of new products, and some to new start-ups. Topics range from software for product line engineering to automotive platforms and from process automation to avionic systems.
The research areas outlined in the ITEA Rainbow Book and in the ITEA Technology Roadmap on Software Intensive Systems form the basis for the technical content of each Call. In addition, ITEA published on their website a list of themes that are particularly relevant to this Call. In order to help preparing a Project Outline, locate potential partners, join existing consortia, and find out more about the specifics of the Call, ITEA is organising a Project Outline preparation meeting on 19 and 20 January 2004 in Paris. The provisional programme is on ITEA’s website, where those interested can express an interest in participating by filling in a registration form. Those who are looking for partners to start a new project, have an idea for a project but still need partners, or wanting to join a consortium, can also visit the Partner Search area. This on-line service is open to all, which means that it can facilitate the formation of consortia and the definition of project proposals.