1. La Società dell’informazione per le PMI
Visita Studio Delegazione CNA - Emilia Romagna Bruxelles, Settembre 2005
La Società dell’informazione per le PMI
F. Nachira
European Commission DG-INFSO - Unit “ICT for Enterprise Networking”
Head of Sector “Technologies for Digital Ecosystems“

2. Lisbon Objectives: “ a strategic goal for the next decade”
To become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world,
capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

3. ICT key role ICT adoption ICT as sector
Responsible of 40% growth in productivity
ICT as sector
6% GDP 6% employment
Integration in good and services
Strategic sector
“The EU needs a comprehensive and holistic strategy to spur on the growth of the ICT sector and the diffusion of ICTs in all parts of the economy” Kok report

4. Why should we care about the ICT uptake by EU SMEs ? (1)
Basic ICT infrastructure and access to the Internet are no longer considered major barriers to e-business uptake in Europe
Recent studies have shown that in intensive ICT using sectors, productivity growth in the EU is dramatically lagging behind the one in the US in the period This shows a deficit of th EU firms, in particular SMEs, in terms of productive application of ICT in all other sectors of the economy

5. Why should we care about the ICT uptake by EU SMEs ? (2)
SMEs face particular difficulties in integrating new technologies and re-organising their business processes;
less than 10% of SMEs that sell on-line have fully integrated the ordering process into the internal business organisation (compared with 1/3 of large enterprises);
less than 10% of SMEs have implemented an electronic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (compared with 1/3 of large enterprises);
only 3% of SMEs are users of an electronic Supply Chain Management (SCM) system (compared with 13% of large enterprises)

6. Why should we care about the ICT uptake by EU SMEs ? (3)
The e-maturity of SMEs differ across countries, regions and sectors:
the divide between Northern and Southern Member States with respect to e-commerce activities still exists and is even widening (45% / 10%)
the percentage of companies making e-purchases generally exceeds that of those engaging in e- selling activities by more than 2:
for B2B transactions, the emergence of e- marketplaces seems to be of growing importance for both large companies and SMEs

7. DG-INFSO past contribution
From ESPRIT to FP5
eEurope 2002 and 2005: GO DIGITAL initiative
About 70 SMEs Projects funded under IST FP5
Many isolated success stories
> But it’s not enough!
During the life of the former ESPRIT programme ( ) and the IST programmes under the 5th Framework Programme ( ) and the 6th Framework Programme ( ), an important shift in perception occurred. Indeed, it became progressively more evident to us that e-business solutions applied to SMEs will play a key role in boosting productivity and improving competitiveness as Europe moves decisively towards a knowledge-based economy.
The eEurope action plans were the symbols of European Union policy to develop the information society.
Under the eEurope 2002 action plan there was a willingness to accelerate what was called at that time eCommerce capability among European SMEs. This was promoted through the Godigital initiative. It supported different actions to spread best practice, raise awareness, perform benchmarking, improve legal certainty for SMEs offering ecommerce services across the Union through an online information service and other awareness actions. Even “Reference centres” could help SMEs to introduce e-commerce into their business strategies.
In parallel, the IST programme supported a portfolio of 70 projects concerned with eBusiness take-up within SMEs, by using three types of measures: Trials, Best practice actions and Demonstrations projects.
As you can see on this chart, in the first two years of FP V, 9240 SMEs received a total funding of 1186 M euro. More specifically under the GO Digital initiative, there were around 70 IST take-up projects launched. They involved directly hundred of SME throughout Europe together with “catalysts” – local or regional associations working with SMEs.
The IST projects generated a diverse set of showcases –examples of successful practice that are disseminated through national and regional initiatives, and some of them are presented today (like Easytrade).
But this is not enough!

8. How to improve To liaise research with policy
Synergies with MS and Regions
To have a bigger impact at research level
FP6 : Integrated Projects, Cluster of Projects
FP7 : ETP , DBE concept
Projects providing links between policy and research
To act at policy level
i2010
Giving more emphasis to SME clusters and territories
EISCO’s final declaration: local agenda i2010
To address the needs of SMEs as system
Digital Business Ecosystems
To conclude, in the near future we will achieve our objectives for SMEs by concentrating our work around some priorities :
To have a bigger impact at research level
IST in FP7
Technology Pillar “Software, Grids, security and dependability”
Application Pole “ICT supporting business and industry”
New forms of dynamic networked co-operative business processes, digital ecosystems
SSA and CA to better support integration and knowledge dissemination
Projects providing links between policy and research (ex: LEGAL-IST)
To act at policy level (some examples)
I2010
The Commission Communication "i A European Information Society for growth and employment" adopted on June 1, 2005 is a comprehensive strategy to guide information society and media policies in the next five years. It is a key component of, and the first initiative adopted under the EU’s renewed Lisbon strategy.
Under the objective to strengthen Innovation and Investment in ICT research lies the intention of promoting growth and more and better jobs, in line with the Lisbon objectives. the Commission plans to propose an integrated policy on eBusiness giving special attention to SMEs. We need to identify support mechanisms, new initiatives and concrete policies to help SMEs to harvest the benefits from the adoption and integration of ICT in their environment.
EISCO’s final declaration
The "Declaration" issued by European local and regional governments at the end of the EISCO'2005 Conference (Cracow, PL, 2-4 June) is an important tool for leveraging our efforts to enhance the case for digital business ecosystems (especially goal 6).
Because of its importance, the organisers will try to have it translated in all European languages through the local/regional associations (translation has already started in Italian and Polish). Mrs. Reding should receive a copy rapidly.
Digital Business Ecosystems
Many initiatives will be developed in the near future, following the 2 workshops orgnaised this year: a policy roadmap, maybe a public consultation and a call for proposals, a participation in the Summer University of Brindisi about DBEs, one entire session devoted to DBE during the Cambridge conference on eBUSINESS in Dec.; etc.

9. How to liaise research with policy
Policy [Lisbon Agenda, i2010]
put SMEs & local development at the forefront of the agenda
At EU level, every policy has a SME dimension, i2010 Communication
CIP programme
ICT Research to empower SMEs
FP5 ‘Innovation and SME Programme”
FP6 15% budget dedicated to SMEs
FP7
Subsidiarity

10. New strategic framework: i2010 initiative
Comprehensive and holistic approach:
Umbrella initiative for EU Information Society and Media policies (regulation, research and deployment)
Three priorities:
Completing the Single European Information Space
Strengthening innovation and investment in research
Achieving an Inclusive European Information society

11. i2010 - Community Actions Legislation, regulation Financial support:
Two distinct and complementary financial instruments
CIP: To drive forward innovation through the adoption and best use of ICTs
FP7: To strengthen Europe’s leadership role in mastering and shaping the development of ICTs
Coordination, consensus-building

12. Knowledge, products and services (for growth and jobs)
Innovation
New technologies, applications
Technology trends.
Vision of the future
ICT in CIP
Uptake and best use
Research
ICT in FP7
Research
shaping ICT development
User needs
evolving requirements
Uptake barriers (legal, economic,..)
Acceptability of solutions
New research challenges

13. CIP Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme
New programme to boost growth and jobs in Europe
By providing horizontal measures supporting competitiveness and innovation
Entrepreneurship (SMEs) & innovation
By addressing three main “technological” domains underpinning the whole economy
Eco-innovation (environment)
ICT Policy Support
Intelligent Energy (energy efficiency & renewable energy)
ICT Policy Support :
Stimulates innovation through wider adoption and better use of ICT

14. How EC-R&D supports SMEs eBusiness
Peculiarities of EU (SMEs, diversity, territories)
-> how to turn this into competitive advantages?
-> which role of ICT , which infrastructure ?
Mission
Mission: To contribute to Enterprise sustainable competitiveness through the timely introduction of meaningful technological and organisational innovations in business and business environments
Strategy
Providing infrastructure enabling development for customised ICT applications & services for improving their efficiency and for extending their business

15. ICT in FP7: Objectives, Main Themes
“To enable Europe to master and shape the future developments of ICT so that the demands of its society and economy are met”
ICT Technology Pillars
Software, Grids, security and dependability
Integration of Technologies
Applications Research
providing the knowledge and the means to develop a wide range of ICT-based services and applications
ICT supporting businesses and industry (business processes; collaborative work; manufacturing)
Future and Emerging Technologies

16. Evolution in ICT-adoption: Increased complexity in business networking
As I said previously, the transition to eBusiness for an SME is more a journey than a single event. In most cases, this journey can be characterised in terms of progression through a number of key steps in adopting ICT. The eAdoption ladder model, well known, shows the progression from a basic system to the most sophisticated organisational model. Surveys show positions on the ladder vary by size, sector and geographical location but most of the European SME are on the lower rugs of this ladder.
However, the integration of computers, interfaces and networks into everyday environment – the Ambient Intelligence vision – raises new challenges and opportunities for enterprises and makes our ambition possible. The longer term view is that by 2020 global competitiveness of industry will depend to a significant extent on the existence of poles of competence, consisting of enterprises and research institutes seamlessly interlinked and also connected to billions of chip-based devices. The challenge for Europe is therefore to establish firmly some of these poles of competence on its soil. This is why it became crucial to analyse the specificities of our economic landscape mostly populated by European SMEs.

17. Towards a Global Dynamic Competition : SMEs & local clusters in a knowledge-based global economy
More interrelations
More specialised resources
More R&D / innovation
Access to global value chains
Access to knowledge
Industrial District
Growth Node
Virtual cluster
Business Ecosystem
How to reach the critical mass of resources ? How to cope with the increased complexity ?
Commission created the ecosystem metaphor

18. Which ICT technology for business ecosystems ?
Scenario:
“… the actual slowly changing network of organizations will be replaced by more fluid, amorphous and often transitory structures based in alliances, partnership and collaborations”...
“…building a community that share business, knowledge and infrastructure”(1)
“To support this scenario of aggregation of services and organizations, is required a further stage in ITC technology adoptions and an infrastructure which exploits the dynamic interaction (cooperation and competition) of several players
in order to produce systemic results;
innovation and economic development.”
“Towards a Network of digital business ecosystems fostering the local development ” (EC, Discussion paper, 2002)

19. The Business Digital Ecosystem: an integrated approach
Growth
Competitiveness,
market & internal
efficiency
Cooperation &
innovation networks
improve
lead to
encourage
provide
resources
ICTs
catalyse
improve
“Digital Ecosystem
Infrastructure”
Open Source
Evolutionary
infrastructure
make
viable
shape
& foster
supports
support
Biology
enhances
New organizational
& business models
Policy
supports
Derivative work from
P.Dini - London School of Economics

20. The business ecosystem
adoption/use of ICT is one major factor of productivity
SMEs backbone of EC economy; SMEs do not adopt/master ICT
role of knowledge sharing; systemic approach on territorial basis
how to induce a change in how organizations network and cooperate?
Technical
Infrastructure
How to create a
favourable environment
for business and people:
a socio-economic eco-
system
Governance & industrial policy
Human capital, knowledge and practices
Business
& financial conditions

21. to enterprises global collaboration
A systemic approach
to enterprises global collaboration
open-source, public, distributed pervasive environment
- spontaneous evolution, adaptation and composition
of services, digital content and sw components
- embedding business rules, revenue models,
ontology...

22. How to create an ICT infrastructure that fits with the needs of SMEs ?
The digital ecosystem
Which ICT infrastructure for this new paradigm ?
How could ICT support the transition from industrial district to business ecosystem ?
Paradigm shift : machine model => living organism model make a plan => create structural conditions
Computing and telecom.
Infrastructure
How to create an ICT infrastructure that fits with the needs of SMEs ?
vision, new paradigms
OS service-oriented architecture
Formalised knowledge

23. What is a Digital Ecosystem ?
THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
is a pervasive “digital environment”
that supports the business ecosystems
that is populated by “digital components”
that evolves/adapts to local conditions with the evolution of its components, which are software, applications, services, knowledge, business processes and models, training modules, contractual frameworks, laws ...
©XPLANE
THE “SOFT” SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE,
WHICH MEDIATES
SERVICES & INFORMATION (knowledge)
EMPOWERING THE NETWORKING AND THEIR SHARING

24. Research areas in Digital Business Ecosystems
Formalised Basic Models and Services
Execution environment “life support structure”
Digital Ecosystem
Open-source service- and knowldege-oriented infrastructure
Networking technologies
ICT Infrastructure
Research
areas
Knowledge Economy
Business Ecosystems and Regional Economies
Social Science Business models,
DBE
Semantics of
services
Syntax of economic
behaviour
Business rules
and
Regulatory Framework
Formalisation of
Knowledge
(Languages)

25. Digital Ecosystem pilot regions (Sept 2005)
Local Business Ecosystem
co-funded by DBE project
joined as new pilot
Potential future take-up
local ecosystems
Cluster of Projects
DBE (15M€)
Legal-IST
SEAMLESS …
Call-5 (~20M€)

26. For more Information