ICT of the Future

Promoting challenging development in information and communication technology

ICT of the Future is the funding programme of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) for the promotion of challenging technology development and innovation in information and communication technology, interlinked with application fields and societal challenges.The programme supports ICT innovation in a comprehensive perspective. It aims to contribute to the goal of the federal government to lead Austria from the group of so-called Innovation Followers to the group of Innovation Leaders – to become one of the most innovative countries within the EU. The Community European Research Area (ERA) provides a frame of reference for this national programme, which will complement over its run-time both existing and new European initiatives within Horizon 2020.

OBJECTIVES

  • Develop lead technologies
    • Increase both the quantity and the quality of ICT-research and development that can achieve and sustain technological leadership
    • Enable the exploration of new ICT research topics and application fields
       
  • Achieve lead positions in competitive markets
    • Strengthen the capability of firms to innovate, support firms in establishing and extending their competitive position
       
  • Establish and extend a lead position as a location for research
    • Secure and improve Austria’s visibility, interlinkedness and attractivity in the international context in the area of ICT research and development
    • Train and attract lead researchers
       
  • Improve the availability of a sufficient number of trained researchers as the backbone of excellent ICT-research and development

 

FOCUS TOPICS

The following structural elements serve to set up focus topics for the programme:

  • Four ICT topic-areas address ICT-specific challenges that are characterised by requiring R&D in ICT to facilitate solutions for potential application areas, as these challenges touch upon fundamental technological issues within computer science, electronics, software or hardware, thus relying on technology-driven innovation.
  • Application fields in close proximity to the responsibilities of BMVIT ministry, where ICT are of key relevance. The application fields are addressed in a sequence of calls offering suitable funding instruments over a period of several years.

 

The four ICT topic-areas each have three subtopics:

  • Enabling complex ICT solutions: systems of systems
    • Rigorous systems engineering
    • Adaptivity and evolution
    • Autonomy
       
  • Justifying trust: safe and secure systems
    • Safety and security by design
    • Usable security
    • Ubiquitous security
       
  • Conquering data: intelligent systems
    • Data-analytics and integration
    • Semantic and knowledge
    • Cognitive systems and prediction
       
  • Ensuring interoperability: interfaces of systems
    • Interface concepts
    • Compatibility
    • Technologies and tools for interfaces
       

There are also four horizontal objectives:

  • Human-Centered Computing
  • Responsible use of resources
  • Responsible use of R&D data
  • European dimension
SME, Large enterprises, Universities, Universities of applied sciences, Competence centres, Research facilities, Consortia, Start-up, Non-profit organisations, Regional administrative bodies

The essential in brief

Closed Availability
17.10.2013 - 31.12.2021
Initiative for
(Non-profit) AssociationsAuthoritiesCompetence centresLarge companiesResearch facilitiesSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)Start UpUniversitiesUniversities of applied sciences
Funders
Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure

About the FFG

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is the national funding institution for industry-related research and development in Austria. FFG funding plays a key role in generating new knowledge, developing new products and services, and thereby becoming more competitive in the global market.
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