As I blogged some time ago, I have been involved with the EC consultation process on the future workprogramme for ICT for governance and policy-making. You can find my presentation in a previous post.
I also have concerns that today’s innovation model challenge the traditional approach to ICT research policy, especially when addressing applied research (such as eGov, eHealth, eBusiness…). The traditional approach is based on large-scale multi-years projects, while the “2.0” innovation model calls instead for smaller, shorter project, flexibly arranged along the duration, or for a totally novel approach such as prize-based competitions – as pointed out in another post here.

But these are long term structural changes to the way research policy is organized. At the moment, we have to accept the existing approach to research funding, and deal with the CONTENT of the research.
A big effort has been put in place by the EC to put ICT in the public sector back on the research agenda, it is now time to spell out better what kind of next-steps applications could be developed, in order to:
– make people outside the “egov2.0 circle” aware of why this is an important field of ICT innovation.
– reach a better understanding between ourselves about what the next steps could be
– raise the level of the debate and get better projects and better value for money through the EU funding

I therefore make an OPEN CALL FOR COLLABORATION. Let’s start imagining what innovative solutions could be developed as next steps of eGovernment in fields such as: collaborative governance, policy simulation and visualization. For a fuller description of the scope, see here.

As this is in the context of research policy, we should not look at implementing existing best practice, but at developing the next steps of these solutions. For example, I like a lot the approach of Roc Fages, but it is done using available solutions, while here we should try to imagine the next steps.

I will start doing this on this blog. I hope you will join me in this effort, either by :
– co-authoring on this blog;
– commenting the posts;
– writing about this and using the technorati tag EGOV2RESEARCH .

This collaboration is on-going, with no precise deadline. However, for our effort to be listened, most of the work should be done BY NOVEMBER 2008.

Disclaimer: this is not an official EC effort, it’s voluntary and informal. However I am sure that if we come out with good content, it will be listened to.

Technorati tags: egov2research