COST Telecommunications Information Science and Technology Francesco Fedi Chairman COST TC-TIST

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COSTTelecommunicationsInformation Scienceand
TechnologyFrancesco FediChairman COST TC-TIST
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COST-TIST

• Telecommunications one of the first 7 domains
  in 1971
• 3 of the first 7 Actions launched in 1971
  belonged to Telecommunications
• In 1999 the scope and terms of reference of the
  TC were enlarged leading to Telecommunications
  and Information Science and Technology (TIST)
• Some 100 Actions since 1971

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Evolution of COST TIST Actions
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COST TIST (Telecoms, Information Science and
Technology)

• 25 Actions each year
• more than 3000 leading scientists
• from the 35 COST countries
• from Institutions of non-COST countries
• covering research on the most advanced topics in
  the domain of TIST

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TIST Quality Control

• Assessment of proposals for new Actions
• - Peer review by the Assessment Panel
• - Assessment Report approved by the TC
• Monitoring of Actions in Progress
• - Progress Report presented by the Action
  Chair
• Evaluation of completed Actions
• - Peer review by the Evaluation Panel
• - Evaluation Report approved by the TC

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TIST Results

• Scientific Importance
• - High number of papers and Ph Doctors
• - Scientific relevance of COST TIST
• Contribution to European Competitiveness
• - Contributions to normative bodies (ITU )
• - Contributions to standardization bodies ( ETSI
  )
• - Transfer of results to European manufacturers
  and service providers
• - SMEs originated from COST Activities
• contd

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TIST results (contd)

• Societal Importance
• - Delicate Issues from new technologies
• - High - standard, industry - independent
  environment
• Contribution to the ERA
• - High number of projects in the FPs
• - Record number of 6 NoE in the FP6
• - Active participation of ESA

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COST TIST

• Examples of Success Stories

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Radiopropagation

• 9 actions since 1971
• Development of models and methods to estimate
  influence of adverse atmospheric conditions on
  very high frequencies with world-unique
  experiments
• Transfer of results to ITU
• Development of methods to predict effects of the
  upper atmosphere on Earth-space systems
• Approval of project Digital Upper Atmosphere
  in the e-content framework

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Antennas

• 9 Actions since 1971
• Jointly with ESA a major driving force for
  European space and communication industry
• Establishment of a unique research network among
  Universities, industry and research organizations
• Outstanding results in aerials with phase
  control, electronically steered antennas, active
  phased arrays and smart antennas

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE Smart Antennas
• 40 Key Institutions across Europe
• Addressing 4 key areas
• Millimetre wave antennas
• Small terminal antennas
• Broadband antennas
• Re-configurable antennas

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Influence of EMF on Human Health

• 3 Actions since 1992
• Establishment of a multidisciplinary network and
  stimulation of scientific cooperation within 23
  countries among more than 200 national projects
• Advice and guidance for scientific experiments
• epidemiological studies, biomedical experiments,
  quantitative dosimetry
• Contributions to CENELEC for the assessment of
  mobile communications health issues and for the
  establishment of exposure limits to base station
  fields
• contd

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Influence of EMF on Human Health (contd)

• Advice and assistance to EU Commission, WHO,
  EU Parliament and national Governments on
  controversial issues on EMF health risks

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE EMF Health Research
• 50 Key Institutions across Europe
• Objectives are to
• Integrate and consolidate existing European
  research initiatives on possible health
  implications of Electromagnetic Fields
• Provide science -based advice to national and
  European policy makers on the EMF/Health issues

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Mobile Communications

• 5 Actions since 1984
• Outstanding results in many areas of mobile
  communications
• channel modelling, network aspects, modulation
  and access techniques, channel allocations,
  protocols, traffic modelling
• Major contribution to the standardization of the
  GSM system
• Transfer of results to ETSI and ITU on UMTS and
  other emerging standards
• contd

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Mobile Communications (contd)

• Assistance to ETSI over the dispute on the access
  technique for UMTS (TDMA versus CDMA)
• Significant transfer of results to European
  industry

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE Wireless beyond 3G
• 39 Key Institutions across Europe
• Objectives are to promote the evolution of
  enabling technologies towards Generalised Access
  Networks associated to wireless systems beyond
  3G,with respect to
• Interaction of radio channel, physical link and
  network layers
• Integration of separate air interfaces

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Satellite Communications

• 5 Actions since 1990
• Results on integration of terrestrial and
  satellite networks
• Adaptation of protocols and algorithms of
  terrestrial networks to be used in the satellite
  segment
• Development of strong links to European satellite
  industry and service providers
• Contributions to design of new configurations for
  internet type traffic
• Significant transfer of knowledge to European
  industry

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE Satellite Communication
• 21 Key Institutions across Europe
• Objectives are to
• Build a European virtual centre of excellence in
  satellite communications
• Interact with an advisory board incorporating
  representatives of European space industry,
  satellite service providers, standardisation and
  regulation bodies

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Optical Communications and Photonics

• 16 Actions since 1977
• Development of the first universally -recognized
  European network with strong lasting links among
  Universities, industry and other research
  entities
• Achievement of broadly - based, internationally-
  checked, scientific results precursors of FPs
  projects
• Transfer of results to the main normative bodies
  contributing to the huge increase in transmission
  capacity and to the deployment of the optical
  communications network across Europe
• contd

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Optical Communications and Photonics (contd)

• Transfer of results to the European Industry and
  creation of many SMEs by young scientists
  participating in COST Actions

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Multimedia and Internet

• 4 Actions since 1992
• Results on how to improve end to end quality of
  Internet services across heterogeneous networks
• Results on the efficiency of redundancy reduction
  techniques for compression of video signals for
  future multimedia applications
• Modelling and simulation tools in emerging
  multiservice networks
• Studies on biometrics - based recognition of
  people over the internet for large scale
  e-commerce applications
• contd

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Multimedia and Internet (contd)

• Significant transfer of knowledge to European
  Industry
• Contributions to normative bodies
• due to COST, Europe is leading Internet
  standards setting on quality of service

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE Internet Quality of Service
• 41 Key Institutions across Europe
• Aims to integrate a critical mass of expertise
  and to re-structure research practice in the
  areas of
• computer networking
• development of technologies for end-to-end
  audio-visual networks, services and applications

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Information and Knowledge Discovery

• 4 Actions since 2001
• Development and implementation of computerized
  systems for extracting previously - unknown,
  non-trivial, and useful knowledge from
  structurally -complex, high - volume and fast -
  changing scientific data bases
• Establishment of multidisciplinary networks of
  information scientists , data base experts and
  specialists in different areas of research
  chemical compounds, astronomy, clinics, medicine
• contd

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Information and Knowledge Discovery (contd)

• Identification of new fields with very visionary
  research directions to drive future activities

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NoEs emerging from COST TIST

• FP6 NoE E-Learning
• 70 Key Institutions across Europe
• Objectives are to
• Integrate existing European initiatives to
  develop a culturally-diverse and coherent
  theoretical and practical research foundation for
  research and innovation
• Develop new tools and methodologies for an
  interdisciplinary approach to research on
  learning with digital technologies at a European
  level

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COST TIST FUTURE

• Coexistence of NoE and COST Actions
• Transfer of Scientific Secretariat of TC-TIST
  from EC DG INFSO to the COST Office provided by
  the ESF
• Maintenance of strong links with the EC DG INFSO
• Election of new Chair and Vice-Chair of TC-TIST