• Introduction
• Contact
• European Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)
• European ICT policy support programme (ICT PSP)

Introduction

The National Institute of Communication Technologies (INTECO) is the National Contact Point (NCP) of the European ICT policy support programme (ICT PSP) which integrated as a specific programme in the European Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP).

In the development of this function, INTECO becomes the main provider of advising services and assistance for the Spanish entities interested in participating in the European ICT policy support programme of the European Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.

The objectives of the Framework Programme CIP are the following:

• a) To encourage the competitiveness of the companies, especially of the SMEs;
• b) To promote all the forms of innovation, including the ecological innovation;
• c) To boost the development of a sustainable,competitive,innovative and inclusive information society;
• d) To promote the energetic efficiency and new and renewable energy sources in all the sectors, including transport.

The Framework Programme CIP does not cover the activities of research and technological development and of demonstration included in the scope of the 7th Framework Programme of R+D. The programme is supposed to contribute to save the gap between the research and the innovation and to promote all the forms of innovation.

The objectives of the specific programme are the following:

• a) To develop the common European information space and to consolidate the internal market of ICTproducts and services and of products and services based on the technologies.
• b) To promote the innovation throught a better incorporation of the ICT and more investments in the ICT.
• c) To develop an inclusive information society and more efficient and effective services in scopes of public interest, as well as to improve the quality of life.

INTECO offers support for the innovation activities and projects that are to be presented by the SMEs and other entities in the areas of public interest of the European Union, calls for the ICT policy support programme, providing information on themes and special aids of the programme and encouraging the international collaboration for the development of the society through the ICT.

By means of this initiative, INTECO hopes to contribute to strengthening of the technological business tissue,especially in the sector of innovative ICT companies, and to increase notably the participation of the Spanish SMEs in projects of international scope in order to compete in more and more global environment.

European Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme

The Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) has section specially dedicated for the ICT application, so called "PSP" - ICT Policy Support Programme.

The objectives of the specific programme are the following:

• a) To develop the common European information space and to consolidate the internal market of ICTproducts and services and of products and services based on the technologies.
• b) To promote the innovation throught a better incorporation of the ICT and more investments in the ICT.
• c) To develop an inclusive information society and more efficient and effective services in scopes of public interest, as well as to improve the quality of life.

The main objectives of this European programme are to develop a common space of information, to strengthen the internal market of ICT solutions, and to develop efficient services in the areas of interest for the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens. The ICT policy support programme is applied throught projects, actions related with better practises and thematic networks, including actions of experimentation and demostration on a large scale of innovative public services with pan-European dimension.

The projects, the actions related with better practises and thematic networks have the aim to promote the deployment and a better use of innovative solutions based on the ICT, especially for the services of public interest and for the SMEs. The community support also facilitates the coordination and execution of development of the information society in the members states.

In this context, pilot projects of great impact and actions of European ICT thematic networks have received support, in the areas of health, of inclusion of the elderly, of digital libraries, of management and government, of energetic efficiency, enviroment, of intelligent mobility, etc

The subsidized projects are selected by means of open calls from the European Commission, with special objectives that are detailed in the annual work programmes annually. Any proposal will need to be elaborated with collaboration with organizations of different European member states, having in mind a special objective of the call and building on done works until the date in this scope. SMEss, public and private institutions, and big companies will have the possibility to apply.

Back to index

Contact:

The fourth call CIP ICT PSP for the delivery of proposals was closed on the 1st of June of 2010.

Back to index

European Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)

The Framework Programme CIP is carried out through execution of the following special programmes:

1. 1) Business Initiative and Innovation (EIP).
2. 2) ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT).
3. 3) Intelligent Energy - Europe.

General objectives of the CIP programme:

• To promote the competitiveness of the companies, especially of the SMEs.
• To boost the innovation, including the ecological innovation.
• To speed up the development of a competitive and non-excluding Information Society.
• To promote the energetic efficiency and the new and renewable sources of energy, in all the sectors, including the transport.

In the recent years, the European Union has increased its interest to achieve a major coherence and synergy of the programmes and instruments of the community necessary to achieve the objectives of Lisbon. As a response to all this, the Framework Programme for the Innovation and the Competitiveness (CIP) was started and united in a common framework the specific community aid programmes and the corresponding parts of others in vital scopes for the boost of the productivity, the innovation and the sustainable growth.

Although this programme is not addressed solely to a group, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make the main addressee. The aim of this programme is to promote the innovation (including the ecological innovation), to facilitate the access to the financing and to provide a better service of business aid to different regions. Also it hopes to improve the collection and the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and to develop the information society. Finally, it wishes to increase the use of renewable energies and the energetic efficiency.

The member states of the EEE space, the candidate countries for adhesion and the occidental Balkan countries can participate in the CIP. Other third countries, especially neighbour countries or countries interested in collaborating with the Community in innovation activities will be able to participate in the framework programme if the bilateral agreements with the mentioned countries foresee it.

In order to achieve the objectives, the CIP is valid from the 1st of January of 2007 until the 31st of December of 2013, having the budget of approximately 3.630 millions of Euros, and is composed of 3 specific sub-programmes, with annual Work Programmes.

• a. Programme for the Business Initiative and the Innovation

  Budget: 2.170 millions of Euros for the period 2007-2013.

  The aim of this programme is to support the innovation and the business initiative of the SMEs in the EU. For this, the programme is centred on the following objectives:

  • To facilitate the access to the financing for the start-up and the growth of the SMEs and to promote the investment in the scope of the innovation.
  • To create a favourable context for the collaboration among SMEs, particularly among transnational enterprises.
  • To promote the innovation, including the ecological innovation.
  • To boost the business initiative and the innovation culture.
  • To promote the economic and administrative reform related with the enterprise and the innovation.

  In order to achieve the objectives, the programme set out the following actions:

  • 1) Access to the financing of the SMEs through the "financial instruments of the EU".

    These instruments have as the objective the enterprises in the different phases of their lifecycle: origin, beginning, expansion and transmission of enterprises and will support investments in different scopes as the technological development, the innovation (including the ecological innovation), the transfer of technologies and the transnational expansion of activities. The European Fund of Investments, in cooperation with different financial institutions, is the responsible for the management of these instruments.

    More information

  • 2) A network of aid service centres for the enterprises and for the innovation: "Enterprise Europe Network".

    The regional centres that provide services of aid for the enterprises and of boost for the innovation form part of a European network created basing on the experience of the other previous support networks, the European Centres of Business Information and the Linking Centres for the Innovation. These centres provide the enterprises with a wide range of services with the aim to improve the competitiveness.

  • 3) Support for the initiatives addressed to promote the business initiative and the innovation.

    The transnational networks of innovative companies and all the factors that participate in the innovation process, including the initiatives of comparative evaluation and the interchange of the best practises will be promoted.

    More information

  • 4) Ecological innovation: to achieve that the sustainable development would become a business reality.

    The innovative products, processes and services addressed to reduce the impact on the environment, to prevent the contamination or to achieve a more efficient and responsible use of the natural resources is promoted.

    More information

  • 5) To support the formulation and coordination of policies

    A series of conferences in order to gather and disseminate the sectorial knowledge, to inform the responsible politics and to suggest policies will be organized with the aim to improve the coherence and cooperation among the member states of the EU.

    More information

• b. Politic Programme of Aid for the ICT

  Budget: 730 millions of Euros for the period 2007-2013.

  The aim of the ICT politicy support programme ICT (ICP PSP) is to boost the innovation and the competitiveness through a major and better use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by citizens, governments and companies. This programme was created basing on the experiences of previous programmes like e-TEN, Modinis and e-Content and will support the objectives of the new integrated strategy i2010: the information society and the media for the service of growth and employment.

  More information

• c. Intelligent Energy – Europe Programme.

  Budget: 730 millions of Euros for the period 2007-2013.

  The European Union is facing some energetic challenges and is committed to comply with its commitment to reduce the gas of greenhouse effect, to improve the energetic efficiency and, finally, to increase the quota of renewable energies in the energetic consumption in order to build an energetically safe and clean future.

  Europe hopes to support these objectives putting an end to the barriers of the markets, changing the behaviour, creating a business context favourable for the growth of the energetic efficiency and for the opening of the markets of renewable energy, and, finally, favouring a better comprehension of the energetic policies of the EU, in the communities and in the regions of Europe.

Back to index

European ICT policy support programme (ICT PSP)

In the framework of i2010 and the strategy of Granada (2010), for the boost of the Information Society and the media for the service of growth and employment, with three priorities:

• Common European Information Space.
• Innovation through a major incorporation of the ICT and more investments.
• Inclusive European Information Society.

In order to implement these priorities a set of legislative actions, of policy coordination, and financial tools is established. In this way it is possible to achieve:

• To foster the innovation through a major dissemination and better use of the ICT.
• To speed up the development of a sustainable, competitive, innovative and inclusive Information Society.
• Major dissemination and better use of the ICT by the citizens, the industry and the governments.

This programme has a budget of approximately 730 M€ for the period 2007-2013.

The specific programme CIP-PSP is supposed to boost the innovation and competitiveness through a wider response and a major use of the information and communication technologies by the citizens, governments and companies, especially the SMEs.

The work programme for the year 2010 may be consulted in the following document.

Each call has some objectives assigned related with some type of instrument that will determine the characteristics:

• Pilot type A: these are projects for the assurance of the interoperability of solutions and services based on the ICT at the European level that previously had been launched at the national level. The maximum duration of these projects is of 36 months, 12 of them have to be dedicated to validate the pilot in real conditions. Normally 1 pilot of every objective that indicates "Pilot A" is financed; extensions to already existing pilots can be made. Each Pilot A has a budget of 5-10 millions of Euros.
• Pilot type B:its objective is the validation on a real scale or the deployment of a service. The technological development beyond the localization and integration will not be financed. The maximum duration of these projects is of 36 months, sufficient time has to be dedicated to validate the pilot in real conditions. Various proposals will be selected for each objective where "Pilot B" is indicated. Each Pilot B has a budget of approximately 2-3 millions of Euros.
• Thematic networks: these are forums for the parties interested in the interchange of experiences and the scope of consensus on the future with regard to technologies and standards. It covers costs of coordination, implementation of the network, participation in events, productions of documents and activities of dissemination, among others. The thematic networks have duration of 18-36 months. A network per each objective will be financed, indicated by "Thematic network". The estimated budget for each network is of 300-500 thousands of Euros.
• Good practise networks: exclusively for the theme of Digital Libraries, with the aim to share good practise. Various networks will be selected per each objective. The estimated budget for each network is of 3-5 millions of Euros.

The fourth call for the specific programme ICT PSP for the delivery of proposals was closed on the 1st of June of 2010.More information can be found in the following link.

Back to index