Australian ICT expertise on show at peak EC event

Gordon Peters
Monday, 27 September 2010 00:36

IT Industry - Strategy

Australia's world-class ICT expertise will be on show at the European Commission's biennial ICT three-day research event - ICT 2010:Digitally Driven - which opens in Brussels today with 5,000 researchers, innovators and influencers from around the world participating.

A delegation of leading Australian ICT rsearch institutions is in Brussels, led by National ICT Australia (NICTA) - Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence, and including the CSIRO and five universities.

Exhibiting for the first time at the event, NICTA is co-ordinating an 'Australian ICT Expertise' stand to showcase what it says is 'Australian ICT excellence.'

NICTA CEO, Dr David Skellern said the various technology demonstrations at the Brussels event aim to stimulate future collaboration under the ICT theme of the European Commission's Seventh Framework Program (FP7) and into the Eighth Framework Program. He said that along with NICTA, the CSIRO, Macquarie University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, and the University of Technology Sydney are all participating in the delegation.

Dr Skellern said ICT 2010: Digitally Driven, has an exhibition, networking sessions and conference, and that the Australian Government Department of Innovation Industry, Science and Research is supporting the participation of 16 researchers through an Australia-Europe International Science Linkages grant. 'The support will build European research networks and enable senior and early-career researchers from Australia's ICT research sector to attend. In particular, Australia's world-class expertise in embedded systems, future Internet and wireless will be highlighted. These areas were identified at high-level meetings between the Australian Government and the European Commission earlier in the year.'

Dr Skellern also said that, with the Australian Government's support, the Australian research sector can 'work together, to demonstrate a comprehensive array of game-changing technology to a strategically important European audience,' which he adds, 'will help raise awareness of Australian excellence and our role in the global innovation system.'

And, according to the CSIRO's ICT centre director, Dr Ian Oppermann, being present at Europe's premier forum for information and communication technologies offers the Australian ICT research sector 'access to establishing valuable new partnerships and business opportunities.'

'CSIRO is delighted to be part of the Australian delegation. Australia has world-class ICT expertise and we will be looking for strategic partnership opportunities with both research and industry,' Dr Oppermann added.