Next Generation Internet

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

Today the Internet is key to almost any socio-economic activity, a true value creator which reshapes economic and societal behaviours. This trend is irreversible and in 10 years from now the Internet will be an even more indispensable motor for socio-economic activity worldwide. If Europe aims to shape this future Internet as a powerful, open, data-driven, user-centric, interoperable platform ecosystem, it must take action now.

With a fresh view, the European Commission launches a new track of future Internet research aimed at developing a next generation of the Internet enabled by key technologies and services allowing it to become an open ecosystem avoiding the dominance of a few giant economic players. This coordination and support action will prepare the conditions, mobilise the constituencies and prototype the operations of a large future Next Generation Internet initiative going beyond Horizon 2020.

Proposals should cover one of the three bullet points (a, b or c):

a) Coordination and Support action - Identification of research topics

Design, build and apply a methodology to identify continuously those key future technologies that will support an Internet model more open and more inclusive in 10 years from now. For this:

• Perform a portfolio analysis, coverage, mapping and gap analysis of ongoing and emerging research topics in future Internet.
• Identify those key future Internet technologies, i.e. the game-changers for an Internet in 2025, and deduct specific technology roadmaps.
• Analysis programmes and developments in Member States and Associated Countries, and activities in international partner countries.

b) Coordination and Support action - Dynamic and continuous consultation

Build an open, dynamic and continuous consultation process which engages all relevant stakeholders in a long-term and multi-disciplinary fashion. For this include:

• The scientific community and outstanding scientists who lead the Internet technology research in Europe.
• Identifying the high-tech startup community, its competences and capacity, i.e. the relevant specific actors.
• Member States and Associated Countries along with national R&I funding bodies to shape the NGI in a fully synergetic way.
• The aspect that the NGI flagship is part of a global race towards mastering the future Internet.
• The benefits from ongoing research and policy activities, notably the roadmap-based research ongoing in areas such as 5G, IoT, cloud, data and cybersecurity.

c) Coordination and Support action - A programme shape for of a Next Generation Internet initiative.

This initiative will mobilise the best researchers and focus on a continuous scouting of developments with the potential to change the way the Internet is operated, often by an opportunistic and multidisciplinary combination of advances. For this:

• Identify and validate the constituent basic elements for a large Next Generation Internet flagship which includes characteristics such as speed and adaptability.
• Build a strong and fluid link and a feedback loop between short and long-term research to strengthen Europe’s capacity to actually bring advanced technology to the market.
• Involve in a practical way new players and set a prototype interaction between the scientific community and today’s best Internet innovators, the startups and SMEs.
• Make use of the research topics identified under (a) and the consultation and community identified under (b).
• Promote the notion of a European Next Generation Internet ecosystem by building a community among academia, researchers, startups, SMEs and corporates involved.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of about 0.7 million would allow each bullet point (a, b and c) to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. No more than one action per bullet point will be funded.

• Establish the base for a large scale research flagship on the Next Generation Internet.
• Prototype and validate new processes for research and innovation on Next Generation Internet.
• Mobilise the new players indispensable for agile research on the Next Generation Internet, notably leading individual or teams of researchers and high tech startups.
• Build an active, visible and agile ecosystem comprising all relevant stakeholders for making the Next Generation Internet flagship a success.
• Build a dynamic and growing knowledge base of technological trends, initiatives and key players in the area of Next Generation Internet.