An introduction to Information Society Technologies

A European Opportunity in the Information Society

The Information Society

The User Friendly Information

The User Friendly Information Society Technologies (IST) programme is a major initiative to help promote the development of technologies and applications and to demonstrate their use. For the period 1999-2002 there is Euro 3.6 billion (about £2.5 billion) available to support European companies and organisations to work together to promote the growth of the Information Society within Europe.

If your application is successful the European Commission will pay up to half the cost of the project.

Who’s Eligible for Funding?

The European Union is keen to promote collaboration between a wide variety of businesses and research institutions in projects involving more than one country (mainly from European Union member states, but some other countries are eligible too).

To be eligible, you should have a proposal that includes AT LEAST two independent applicants from different countries.

Your proposal will be much stronger if you can encourage a user of your application or technology to join your team. Help is available to find suitable partners.

It is essential that any projects proposed fall in line with the Work Programme, its timetable and Europe's broader aims and objectives. These are described on the Commission Web pages which you can access directly www.cordis.lu/ist or through the Cyprus Web Page www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~istncp

How do I Apply?

The Commission will invite bids through calls for proposals - typically there will be two each year. Usually you will have three months to submit a proposal, and then independent experts will assess all proposals. Competition can be fierce.

To be successful you need to devote some time and care to selecting your consortium, defining what you intend to do and preparing your proposal.

IST - is it for You?

	Tick
Do you have a research topic or application which is important to the future of your business?
Are you undertaking research to develop a usable end product or application?
Do you see benefits in collaborating with other European organisations (larger markets, shared risk, new contacts)?
Could you commit to a 2 or 3 year project?
Could you use some funding to help you develop and demonstrate ideas?
Could you wait 12 months for that money?

The more of these boxes which you have ticked – the more

IST may be for you.

So if you are unfamiliar with European funding, take the next step and contact us for help. We can send you further information, direct you to a large number of web-based information resources, advise you of events, and provide support over the telephone.

Visit the CYIST Web Site: www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~istncp