by Erwin Schoitsch
The European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS) was launched in Brussels on 7th of July 2006. Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding officially opened the event and outlined in an encouraging manner the major issues to be tackled by EPoSS.
EPoSS brings together European private and public stakeholders in order to coordinate and to bundle efforts and to set-up sustainable structures for improving the competitiveness of European R&D on Smart Systems Technologies and their integration. Smart system integration is an emerging area with applications in many industrial sectors. A particular feature of the technology is its interdisciplinarity and the holistic viewpoint required for successful implementation. Systems combining sensing, processing and actuating functions are increasingly complex, involving a variety of disciplines and principles from physics, chemistry, engineering and biology. The systems may also integrate mechanical, electrical and biological functions in order to create new features like uninterrupted access to information, security and ease of use.
New business opportunities - for example for automotive industries, a strong pillar of European economy (road safety, environment) - are also in the focus of EPoSS. Europe has a good position in micro/ nanosystems, advanced technologies and embedded systems. Further progress, however, requires a change in the level and nature of these activities: regrouping the scattered industry and research communities and developing new instruments for interdisciplinary R&D activities as well as new models and formats of policy support for a fast transfer of research into innovative products.
Areas covered by EPoSS include:
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Telecommunications
- MedTech Systems
- Logistics/RFID
- Commonalities (Cross Cutting Issues).
Rosalie Zobel, EC Director for Components and Systems welcomed the expected co-operation with the ETP ARTEMIS (embedded systems) and ENIAC (European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council).
Important industrial players are supporting and actively participating in EPoSS, such as EADS, Airbus, Thales, VW, Fiat, Siemens, Bosch, Infineon, to name just a few.
ERCIM members participating in EPoSS are Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and VTT. ARC Seibersdorf research (a member of the Austrian ERCIM member AARIT) will also join EPoSS.
The author, as the chairman of the ERCIM Working Group on Dependable Embedded Systems and member of the DECOS co-ordination team, was attending this event. Information on ERCIM and DECOS was distributed among the about 200 participants.
Link:
http://www.smart-systems-integration.org
Please contact:
Erwin Schoitsch, ARC Seibersdorf research, Austria
E-mail: erwin.schoitsch
arcs.ac.at
