© metamorworks_AdobeStock
Experts on critical and emerging digital technologies and their current or future use, ranging from semiconductors and photonics to artificial intelligence, data, robotics, quantum, high performance computing, but also advanced connectivity, next generation internet and virtual worlds, cloud, edge, internet-of-things, or advanced digital communication and security, govtech and interoperability, amongst many others, are invited to express their interest.
This call seeks to cover a broad span of stakeholders including researchers, innovators, market and industrial experts, but also NGOs and other technology users.
Contribution to two ongoing studies to enhance the understanding on the future strategic digital technologies and capabilities for Europe
The selected experts will have the opportunity to contribute through targeted experts’ consultations in the frame of two aligned studies commissioned by DG CNECT.
Considering the rapid evolution of digital technologies and markets, the geopolitical context, the intensifying global technological race and the importance of the digital and sustainable transformation of industry and society, these studies aim to obtain further knowledge and evidence on the need to support the research, development and deployment of critical and emerging digital technologies and capabilities in Europe within the 2028-2040 timeframe.
- Study on “the EU’s critical digital capacities deployment beyond 2027”, focusing on the deployment (integration, application and roll-out) of digital technologies and infrastructures, and on the related skills development;
- Study on “Key considerations for strategic digital technologies for FP10”, focusing on the research, development and innovation of strategic digital technologies.
Role of the selected experts: take part in targeted consultations for the studies
In the scope of these studies, the selected experts will be invited to contribute with their insights and knowledge through three sequential processes:
- A focus group discussion will be organised in late February 2025 to discuss and refine the list of strategic and emerging critical technologies and capabilities relevant for investments at EU level;
- A Delphi survey will be conducted in March and April 2025 (two rounds) to collect and refine expert opinions on the future trends and insights on the generation and deployment of emerging and critical digital technologies and capabilities and their related ecosystems by the 2028, 2034 and 2040 horizons, as well as on the contextual factors that will impact these developments;
- A round of five foresight workshops in Spring and Autumn 2025 will aim to develop investment options for EU funding programmes for the 2028-2034 period, exploring a broad spectrum of possible futures for the generation and deployment of emerging and critical digital technologies and capabilities, with scenario building and backcasting exercises.
Profile of the experts
To that end, a pool of 50 to 80 individual experts will be selected, and the selection will be based upon:
- their expertise in specific digital technologies, with demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the technological advancements related to the research and/or deployment of digital technologies and capabilities, including emerging trends and needs;
- their understanding of the EU digital research and industrial ecosystem related to the development of this specific digital technology and applications across various sectors;
- their knowledge of the EU competitiveness positioning related to this specific technology on the global scale, and awareness of any dependencies within the global value chains.
The selection will also seek to ensure a balanced and representative group. This includes achieving a fair distribution across different technology sub-areas and organisation types, as well as gender and geography.
You can express your interest by 20 January 2025, 18.00 CET, through this application form.
For more information on the studies, or any inquiries related to this call for expression of interest, you can get in touch with our contractor through this functional mailbox.
If you do not fit these expert criteria but are interested in contributing to the studies, please note that there will also be a broad stakeholder consultation process, including a large-scale interview programme and a survey which will be launched in February, as well as several workshops and events in either online or hybrid format. Should you be interested to be kept informed about the study’s next steps you can reach out to this functional mailbox as well.
More information will be available on DG CNECT’s website shortly.