Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Evaluation of the activities in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in past EU Framework Programmes for research and innovation have shown that focused ICT research and innovation investment undertaken at Union level has been fundamental in building industrial leadership in areas like mobile communications and safety-critical ICT systems, and to manage challenges like energy-efficiency and demographic change.

Information and Communication Technologies are supposed to provide the key infrastructures, technologies and systems that are crucial for developing new products and services. Accordingly the ICT programme, embedded into Part II of Horizon 2020, Industrial Leadership, also includes the Key Enabling Technology "Micro- and Nanoelectronics and Photonics".

ICT should provide the critical infrastructure for production, business processes, communication and transactions. They will also be indispensable in coping with key societal challenges as well as societal processes such as community formation and political participation, for example by means of social media. Thus, ICT research topics are not only found in the field of Industrial Leadership but additionally in all Societal Challenges.