About: ICT Archives

A leading figure in the information technology sector believes virtual doctors can help raise health standards in the developing world. Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, says world population growth means low-cost technologies must become accessible for billions of people.

Brussels-based ICT federations are in the middle of a public procurement battle with China as the country is pursuing a "protectionist" new law favouring home-grown technology over foreign innovation, according to industry insiders.

Consumers will be at the core of the European Union's 'i2015' action plan for the future of the digital economy, which the EU institutions are beginning to shape and plan to deliver by spring 2010.

Millions of Europeans face being locked out of the jobs market in five years time due to their lack of ICT knowledge, according to a new report which claims 90% of jobs will require computer skills.

The European Commission will next week propose a set of recommendations to encourage the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) to curb greenhouse gases emissions. Brussels will suggest that firms use more teleworking and cut down on business trips.

Potential cost-savings from e-health are being jeopardised because computer systems cannot talk to one another, according to experts. Healthcare IT specialists also warn of resistance from healthcare workers and patients amid ongoing concerns over data protection.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso spent the summer preparing his programme for the next five years after his bid to secure a second term was put on ice by the European Parliament's political group leaders in July - EURACTIV asked key stakeholders to assess the Barroso Commission's achievements and failures.

Corporations will pump billions of euros into e-health R&D in a bid to steal a march on competitors in a sector expected to be a major driver of economic growth, Pamela Passman, corporate vice-president at Microsoft, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Corporations are pumping billions of euros into e-health R&D in a bid to steal a march on competitors in a sector expected to be a major driver of economic growth, Pamela Passman, corporate vice-president at Microsoft, told EURACTIV in an interview.

"The Swedish EU Presidency has a unique opportunity to set the agenda for integrating policies for economic recovery, the knowledge society, and energy and climate security into a single framework for smart, green growth," writes Peter Johnston, chair of the European Policy Centre (EPC), in a July paper.

Measures to reduce the energy consumption of mobile phones, computers, TVs and other electronic devices are failing to keep up with soaring global demand for new appliances, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report yesterday (13 May).

Information and communication technologies can help curb global warming, but the sector is also coming under growing pressure from the EU to lead by example by cutting its own emissions, which are now comparable to that of the aviation sector.

Information and communications technology (ICT) has a key role to play in driving innovation and competitiveness for small businesses and the IT sector itself. But equipping the labour force with the right skills and providing access to high-tech infrastructure are essential if the full potential of ICT is to be harnessed.

The European Commission wants the ICT sector to cut its CO2 emissions by 20% before 2015 in exchange for the benefits the industry is expected to reap from EU legislation on smart technologies to tackle climate change.

The European Commission will publish an action plan in March to boost the role of ICT in helping to green the EU economy. But extra effort from the technology industry may be necessary.

Video-conferencing and other teleservices can bring public administration closer to the citizen, save time and reduce travel's carbon footprint, argues a recommendation addressed to Finland's public administration.

The European Commission will publish proposals next February to boost the use of smart technologies to combat climate change, Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told industry representatives in Brussels.

Life scientists need to turn to ICT experts for computational modelling to simulate how living systems work and make new discoveries, argues a biologist in an interview with EURACTIV.

As advances in basic biological research move up a gear, the amount of data generated can no longer be understood via traditional experiments and life scientists must turn to ICT experts for computational modelling and simulation of how living systems work, argues a biologist in an interview with EURACTIV.

The EU executive has launched a public consultation on ICT research and innovation, asking industry, experts and policymakers to help it overhaul the bloc's agenda in this field.

Despite Europe leading the United States in the application of digital technologies, it is still far behind in overall economic productivity, argues Robert Atkinson, the president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, in the summer edition of Europe's World.

The rapid uptake of computers, mobile phones and the Internet in the emerging world is set to double the industry's CO2 emissions by 2020, according to the first comprehensive study on the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the world's climate.

An evaluation of the €4bn the EU poured into ICT research between 2003-2006 shows that a lot remains to be done to better capitalise on research results.

The hot topics in European economic policy - such as the global credit crunch, global warming and energy - are drawing focus away from the important European ICT sector, warns Professor Martin Fransman of the University of Edinburgh in an 8 May opinion piece for ScienceBusiness.net.