2. Mobile VCE Core 4 Launch 25 May 2006 David Hendon, Director Business Relations 2

3. Establishing the Mobile VCE in 1996 Establishing Virtual Centre’s of Excellence was a recommendation of the 1995 Report of the Foresight Communications Panel. The Mobile VCE was incorporated on 6 November 1996. An Extraordinary General Meeting to appoint the Executive Committee of the VCE was held on 7 November 1996. Actual research commenced in 1997

4. Membership in 1996 On 7 November 1996 there were membership applications from 13 industrial members (and 4 Universities) Of those 13 original industrial applicants, 7 are still members. The industrial membership fee for a Class 1 member was £25,000

5. The Mobile VCE in 2006 The Mobile VCE has made a significant contribution to mobile and wireless technology. The DTI refer to it as the “flagship” national research initiative in mobile and wireless communications. A successful model, but why hasn’t it been adopted more widely?

6. The Future - Core 4 The Mobile VCE has funding for another Core programme. Support from Government comes from two sources: from the DTI technology programme and from EPSRC.

7. The Future – A Knowledge Transfer Network? Widening industrial membership, broadening the academic base and working with the RDA’s. The UK has world class universities, diverse industry with some world class players, globally based inward investors and thriving SME community.

8. The Future What is the new digital communications technology landscape to be? It will probably be converged, and it will probably involve networks of people and things communicating. Whatever happens it needs highest quality R&D and it needs collaboration