AIOTI Vision and Recommendations: European IoT challenges and opportunities 2019 – 2024

AIOTI has prepared its priorities for the new political cycle in the EU (2019-2024), that started with the election of the new European Parliament in May and with the new Europan Commission that will start on 1 November 2019.

Our Vision and Recommendations

We believe that future EU policies, and in particular those that are within the work programme of the next European Commission, should be built around:

1. The definition and support of a human-centric approach ensuring safety, security, privacy and trust, as the basis of the identity of “Made in Europe” IoT technologies and applications, ensuring a non-discriminatory presence in the European market and participation in R&D&I programs.
2. Progress in the digitisation of European industries according to market and societal needs, with special attention paid to closing a digital divide between EU regions and the Member States.
   • This includes developing new IoT-enabled technologies addressing societal challenges like energy efficiency, climate-change, carbon-neutral smart cities, security of food supply and heatlhy water, which are currently at the core of the Horizon Europe missions.
3. Leveraging IoT data, enabling cross-sectoral “data marketplaces”, providing true interoperability, lowering regulation barriers, etc. to unlock the full potential of innovation IoT-based applications.
   • This includes establishing a cyber-security strategy for safeguarding IoT technology and applications, whilst ensuring privacy by design.
4. Advancing in the convergence of IoT with other enabling technologies such as next-generation connectivity, AI, edge computing, to sustain and extend European leadership in the digital innovation space.
5. Dialogue with industry representatives, such as AIOTI, to build a bridge between the European Commission and EU Member States to disseminate IoT knowledge and in particular to:
   • share and streamline information on IoT related policy, regulation, research, innovation and standardization areas that are led by the European Commission and/or those led by EU Member States and
   • shorten the decision making process at EU and the Member States level on IoT related issues.

That means that existing successful initiatives, including the Digitising European Industries and Digital Innovation Hubs, should continue to be supported within the new context and with new impetus to accelerate testing and adoption of IoT-enabled applications.

Within the framework research programme, European partnerships that include Smart Networks, Intelligent Connectivity, IoT Applications and Services should be developed and adequately financed. Through a public-private partnership model, AIOTI can lead and make significant contributions in this field, bringing our expertise and membership  breadth and reach.

In addition, to pursue successful IoT public policies, the EU should further promote access to data to deliver public interest solutions, enable the development of new commercial business models, build European data lakes and ensure the security, safety and privacy of data.

The value that IoT can provide is determined by interoperability of systems across domains, creating a network effect. Specifically on IoT standardisation, where AIOTI has a demonstrable track record, the work performed to date can be used to further promote the implementation of standards and protocols across industries. Guidelines can be produced for the future proponents of project proposals associated with IoT related calls financed by the EC. The aim will be to build on existing standards, while identifying gaps and continuing to contribute to relevant standardisation activities.

Finally, AIOTI can deliver on a number of actions that are directed at improving the visibility, relations and synergies with other political stakedholders. These would include:

1. Maintain the database for research and innovation projects that are funded by the European Commission and/or EU Member states related to IoT
2. Develop and provide a roadmap with conclusions of significant IoT related projects, e.g., IoT LSPs, that are funded by the European Commission and that could enable further deployment, research, innovation and standardization in Europe
3. Develop an active information loop with Digital Innovation Hubs
4. Design, develop and structure regional workshops to disseminate the national and EU level IoT related initiatives, bridging all related research and innovation IoT related initiatives while leveraging the best practices of successful IoT related initiatives
5. Support the Member States and the European Commission in fostering dialogue on the IoT related themes as outlined above as well as addressing Horizon Europe priorities
6. Actively propose intraregional or intra Member State regulatory sand boxes related to IoT.

In order to enable such enhanced exchange and collaboration, AIOTI proposes the creation and operation of the European IoT Hub, that can be (co)-financed by the European Commission to achieve the objectives listed above.

The full text of the priorities could be found here.

AIOTI response to public consultation on European Partnership (Horizon Europe programme)

At the end of August, AIOTI has submitted its response to the public consultation on Research & innovation – European Partnership for smart networks and services (Horizon Europe programme). AIOTI is actively engaged in discussions on the future EU partnership in Horizon Europe programme, in particular engaging with 5G IA to promote the joint vision for such partnership.

European Industry Partnerships for New Digital Age, 12 September, Brussels, Belgum

The workshop was organised by the IoT Large-Scale Pilots Programme in collaboration with several European partnerships and DG Connect. A Speakers from industry, research and academia representing different European partnership initiatives covering areas of Digital, Industry and Space, representatives from Member States and the European Commission analysed and discussed the strategic directions, how to align the research priorities, identify the gaps and present their expectations for future research and innovation, and the impact of converging technologies such as IoT/IIoT, 5G, AI, robotics, DLTs, edge computing on applications connected to the European IoT/IIoT, intelligent connectivity and data/knowledge ecosystem.

The themes that were addressed covered the secure and trusted data spaces, European Industrial IIoT/edge infrastructures and the continuum to cloud and high-performance computing, intelligent connectivity and industrial 5G infrastructure for intelligent sensor/actuators and the development of HW/SW/platforms tools for IoT/IIoT, AI, digital twins applications across the industrial sectors.

Workshop: Digital Energy Marketplaces, 17 September, Florence, Italy

Natalie Samovich, WG Smart Energy Chair presented AIOTI work on the data marketplaces at the workshop that is continuation of discussions organised at the Open Energy Marketplaces on 8 March in Brussels as well as on Nuances of IoT Marketplaces sessions at the IoT Week in June in Aarhus. The event wass organised by Florence School of Regulation and AIOTI.

Workshop on creating a common European data space for environment-related data, 23 September, Brussels, Belgium

AIOTI presented its work on data market places at the workshop that was organized by the European Commission to understand how to further develop the data economy and promote the re-use of data across domains and sectors. The workshop will contribute to the preparation of the next Commission’s priorities. Under the future Digital Europe Programme, the Commission intends to fund ‘common European data spaces’ in a range sectors, as a means to assist data sharing in a trusted and controlled manner while ensuring fair competition.

European Research and Innovation Days, 24 September, Brussels, Belgium

Natalie Samovich, AIOTI Steering Board Chair was participating at the Internet of the future: preserving EU values while harnessing digital progress panel presenting AIOTI work on the EU partnership and general views on the Horizon Europe program.

The Internet of Things: a roundtable discussion

Francois Fisher, WG Smart Mobility Chair participated in a roundtable discussion about IoT where AIOTI was featured. The related article was published on 5 September by Intelligent Transport.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

AIOTI Meetings and Events

AIOTI Signature Event, 8 October 2019, Brussels, Belgium Register here

Management Board meeting, 7 October, Brussels, Belgium
General Assembly, 8 October, Brussels, Belgium
Steering Board meeting, 9 October, Brussels, Belgium

Other events

Position paper: A balanced approach for implementing the Smart Readiness Indicator
Blog: Future-proof smart cities: the case of Bordeaux

See the AIOTI Calendar of Meetings here.