09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

SFERA European ICT SF Council Sustainability Strategy

George Sharkov/ Tsvetelina Marinova/ Sara Múñoz

ICT-SF Council Secretariat

Improving the Deployment of Innovative Broadband Networks in

European Regions

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

CONCEPT

• Council sustainability strategy a model for the post-project period.

• Aim: to examine possible means to maintain communication channels, operational capacity and funding sources to ensure the sustainability of the European ICT Structural Funds Council.

• Items to discuss:1. Communication:

2. Council membership

3. Management model:

4. Viable strategy for dialogue and identification of synergies

5. Background material and tools

6. Possible sources of funding

Communication 1

• Project website: www.sferaproject.eu:

- commitment for hosting and maintaining the website active even after the project end.

- Document repository - upload/download

- useful links and/or references to other related websites and projects – e.g. the European Broadband Platform.

• Password-protected area

– to guarantee security and protect information,

– Council section on the website

– extra-guarantee for the quality of information, and its reliability as only qualified/authorized members are able to post information and data..

• Online discussion forum

– Interactive– further developed and promoted because of being cost-effective and efficient.

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Communication 2

• Free platform/s (google, yahoo) and/or social network(s)

– e.g. linkedin.com, facebook.com etc. - good for networking purposes as the Council intends to push co-operating between many stakeholders in many European countries

– a way to open the council discussions to even hundreds of people interested in its matter, and gather their opinions and ideas too..

• Online secretariat

– as much of the work will be carried out via the online discussion forum, compilation of inputs, exchange of opinions, even voting can be done online.

– support by administrator(s), who could be also the respective Working Groups/topics coordinators

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Membership

• Multidisciplinary profile:– Policy-makers– Academia– State/Regional authorities partners– Business/ industry– NGO

• Becoming a member- Invitation by the Secretariat- Invitation by another member- Own initiative

• Attraction of new members– Involving the whole supply chain (from providers, including SMEs

representatives, to users/end-users - farmers’ associations, cultural/educational bodies, consumers’ associations, etc.)

– Decision-makers

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Management

• Presidency chairman

• Rotation principle:

– to ensure coherence– but also a wider participation in the management & pro-active

approach– figure of ‘honorary chairman’

• Other options – e.g. country/ regional managers, etc.

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Identification of Synergies

• Cooperation, dialogue and synergies

• Coordination (instead of overlapping) of activities and joining efforts better results based on higher efficiency and added value

– Permanent interactive dialogue with the financial stakeholders: EC, ESA, EIB etc. and tracking of political changes , PPPs - collect the regional needs and report findings to the EC/ESA/EIB

– Regular exchange of documentation with ETPs, DG REGIO, etc., cooperation with ESOA, NEREUS, etc.

– Regular meetings - along with relevant events (EU meetings, seminars, conferences and/or other relevant activities)

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Materials and Tools

• Documents and materials: – comparative analyses , knowledge-base support , position papers

• Selection of topics– directly related to SFERA objectives (initiative by SFERA consortium– suggested by the working groups Council members themselves

• Working groups– Permanent and/or ad-hoc– Initiated by individual and/or a group of Council members– ‘interest-driven’ – will reflect the motivation and commitment of the initiator(s)

to work on the topic chosen, promote ideas and recommend actions– WG leaders – to take up some coordination work performed by the Secretariat

so far - work on Council documents, compilation of inputs, suggestion of topics, promotion of recommendations etc.

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Funding sources

• No membership fee

– Attitude

– Administrative burdens

• Introduction of paid-services by the Council

• ‘Experts’ portfolio’

– Experts submit their short summary – of experience and services they could perform (e.g. consultancy, assessment of projects, business/project plans development, others...)

– Database of experts – Council members, providing paid services

– operating formally under the umbrella and authority of the Council but contracted individually by clients/users

• EU project funding, cooperation

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

Future Challenges

• Expertise coupled by the role of state/regional authorities constitutes the best environment for transforming best practices into sustainable regional development policies & programs - an important role in recommending changes, promoting good practices and influencing regional policies at EU level How to make it more active and keep it sustainable

• Achieving coherence: promote the participation of Council representatives into all relevant forums and events; Council meetings take place along with other relevant activities to use the “power” of the European Council to “push” and promote good practices proven to be successful

• Mechanisms for ‘recommending’ going beyond promotion: how to ‘officialize’ Council recommendations and make sure they are taken into consideration and put into practice

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

European ICT SF Council

… what next…?

TOPICS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

• SFERA welcomes the EERP and recommends an budget extension to enlarge Broad Band services to more Regions.

– Connect to demand aggregation

– Involve end users

• How SF ICT Council recommendations can be more efficiently considered by Regional authorities?

– Open ways to small companies (connection to local autohrities)

– Put people in touch (Facebook) also from the same regions (SMEs and decision-makers)

– See examples from other parts of the world (e.g.satellite)… but relate always to SF instrument and European reality

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

European ICT SF Council

… what next…?

TOPICS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION• What other issues concern Regional authorities, which SF ICT Council can assist?

– Support regional authorities on their decisions (explain them opporunities)– “The handbook” --- EDITORS.– Business plan for “that 10%” . Driven by Portugal– Business/Strategy plan for Demand Aggreation– Define the “perceived quality”… or what the market consider as the basic fruitful service (how much

broadband is really needed for 100% coverage?)

• Is there a need of WG on Demand Aggregation to assist regions? If yes, who should promote the WG?

– Bottom-up.. Starting from the ICT-SF Council– Business opportunities (find). – Define the level of demand.– Ask for EU Commission support (e,g, announcement mechanisims)– Africa??? And other proximity regions – European funding for projects in these regions???

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009

European ICT SF Council

… what next…?

TOPICS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

• How the ICT SF Council can help to make more visible the success-cases deploying wireless technologies or creating hi-tech R&D centers?

– “Send” R&D results to the market

– Papers on specific technologies

– Papers on specific market strategies

• How to ensure a mechanism of coordination to involve all the key players of the supply chain?

– Link with consumers associations (meetings and discussions)

– User awareness

– Other bodies? –

– Broadband atlas – connect to social networks

– Analyze users willingness for a certain system (not as broadband as fiber optic) and translate it to regional SF decision-makers

09/10/2009 SFERA Annual Conference 2009