Context of IPTS' research activities
The Information Society Unit contributes to a key project for Europe’s future economic growth, for maintaining its global competitiveness, for the creations of jobs and for ensuring and increasing its quality of life. The main political project of the European Commission - the Lisbon Agenda (2000) as well as the renewed Lisbon Objectives (2005) - fully acknowledges the potential of the Information Society to contribute to:
- Growth and employment, as Information and Communication Technologies are a high growth sector in its itself (6-8% gross domestic product) but also have important growth impact on all other sectors of the economy
- Solidarity, equity and quality of life, as Information Society Technologies offer considerable potential for inclusion, better governance, future health and healthcare services, realising higher standards of quality of life and life long learning
The Lisbon objective, with regard to the Information Society, is framed by the i2010 policy initiative. The i2010 policy framework has 3 main pillars which specify the overall short to mid term goals (2010 and beyond) of the European Commission in realising the Information Society:
- to create a Single European Information Space, which promotes an open and competitive internal market for information society and media services
- to strengthen investment in innovation and research in ICT
- to foster inclusion, better public services and quality of life through the use of ICT
Each of these pillars calls for specific techno-economic research which the IPTS, building on its competences, is providing to EU policy makers and Member States through different projects.
Scientific actions
- Role of the ICT industry in the evolving knowledge economy
- ICT applications for society
- Techno-economic Foresight for the Information Society
