Preparatory Workshop Brussels, 13 April 2005

1. Preparatory WorkshopBrussels, 13 April 2005 SO 2.5.9 “Collaborative Working Environments” 6th EU Framework Programme for Research Isidro Laso Ballesteros IST Programme

2. SO Collaborative Working Environments. Goal To develop next generation collaborative working environments (NGCWE), thereby • increasing creativity and • boosting innovation and • productivity. NGCWE will enable seamless and natural collaboration amongst a diversity of agents (humans, machines-robots, etc).

3. SO Collaborative Working Environments. Characteristics of NGCWE NGCWE will be: • distributed, • knowledge-rich and • virtualized working environments. Professional virtual communities and nomadic personal access to knowledge should be supported.

4. SO Collaborative Working Environments. Objective • NGCWE environments should provide collaboration services to make possible the development of worker centric, flexible, scalable and adaptable tools and applications. Applications for collaboration Collaboration tools Collaboration services Collaboration environments

5. SO Collaborative Working EnvironmentsWhere are we positioned at? At the crossroad of

6. Research and development activities on NGCWE • Theoretical research:Collaborative Working methods • Research and development on Core Services for collaboration • System integration into collaboration tools • Development of complex applications • Support for internationally agreed reference architecture for CWE

7. Research and development activities on Next Generation Collaboration Working Environments. Medium-term and Long-term perspectives • Medium-term activities (horizon 2010): within the Strategic Objective 2.5.9 of the IST FP6. • Transition activities: Part of the projects to be launch during 2.5.9 IST FP6 Strategic Objective will ensure a smooth transition towards FP7. • Long-term activities (Horizon 2015): During FP7.

8. Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work Innovative conecpts and methods for collaborative work Work to be done within SO 2.5.9 Three layered tasks following a systems approach:

9. VALIDATING APPLICATIONS vManufacturing eMedia eProfessionals eRural … Middleware (SOA) Technology Pillars Network Access (IP v6, wireless, ) COLLABORATION TOOLS Augmented group Presence Group Management Service composition Visualisation Sharing support Semantic Modelling Of Groups Collaborative Work Environment providing core collaboration services: Group identification Digital representation of physical objects Environment awareness Group Security Group resources Discovery and allocation. Synchronization and Persistence of Distributed workspaces Group Traceability

10. 1st Focal Layered task:Theoretical research (I) • Methods and concepts to: • To reduce failures in diverse teams in particular when the cultural diversity is high.. Innovation • To improve work practices in Collaborative Working Environments. (“Innovative workplace practices in manufacturing accounted for as much as 89% of the growth in ‘multifactor productivity’, i.e. beyond ICT increases”. San Francisco Fed, 2004) Productivity

11. 1st Focal Layered task:Research and development on Services Components (II) • Research and development of service components for collaboration to complement existing middleware and platforms, such as: • synchronisation and persistence of distributed group workspaces; • discovery and allocation of group resources; • group identification, traceability and security; • management and interfacing between groups of physical materials and digital representations; • and environment group awareness, with a special emphasis on mobility. • This Services Components will deliver a high quality experience to co-workers based on flexible management of services and should be customizable to different communities, making use of different (mobile) devices.

12. 2nd focal layered task: Research on tools for collaborative work • Bringing together core services into collaboration tools • These tools will offer sophisticated services. • Focus on: • Group management, • Visualization services, • Augmented group presence, • Sharing support, • Seamless interaction, • Semantic modeling of complex groups of workers, • Service composition.

13. 3nd focal layered task:Development of Complex applications (I) Innovative validating applications for collaborative work in content-rich, mobile and fixed collaborative environments • In ICT-rich domains mentioned in the text: • Collaborative design and engineering, in particular rapid prototyping and simulation in the context of virtual manufacturing; • Collaboration in media/content production workers; • Collaboration among e-Professionals; • Collaboration with and among knowledge and information workers in remote and rural settings. • e-Training for collaborative and remote workers (horizontal)

14. 3nd focal layered task:Development of Complex applications (II) • Cross domain fertilization domain would enrich these applications • These applications should leverage, where appropriate, on experience from collaborative games (disruptive approaches)

15. Other tasks (I) • To promote joint research activities with national programmes, • To define future research agendas, • To identify emerging topics and research groups world wide.

16. Other tasks (II) • To achieve internationally agreed reference architecture for collaborative work (guidelines), including core components providing seamless collaboration. • Through Collaboration with international research and standardization activities. • Build on international RTD activities in particular USA, Canada, Korea and japan • Linked to international standardisation activities, including W3C and IETF.

17. STREP STREP STREP STREP STREP IP IP IP IP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work S.O. 2.5.9 Instruments for layer CA/SSA

18. IP IP IP IP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Integrated Projects (I) • Budget: 70% (around €30 Mio) • Integrated, goal-oriented R&D: • Cut across the 3 layered focal tasks, including Work on: • innovative concepts and methods, • core collaboration services, • tools for collaboration, AND • validation on testbeds and large demonstrators. • Critical mass is required to have impact

19. IP IP IP IP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Integrated Projects (II) • Tasks: • Clustering and coordination of activities among the IPs in order to achieve a common ‘upper layer’ Collaborative Work Platform and to avoid overlapping in the development of tools for collaborations. • To contribute to ERA activities with National and regional funding agencies. • To contribute to achieve internationally agreed reference architecture for collaborative work by: • Knowledge creation • Workshops, committes, etc.

20. IP IP IP IP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Integrated Projects (III) • Application domains: The ICT-rich domains mentioned in the official text are: • collaborative design and engineering, in particular rapid prototyping and simulation, virtual manufacturing; • Media/content production, • e-Professionals and • knowledge and information workers in remote and rural settings

21. IP IP IP IP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Integrated Projects (IV) • The use of Experience and Application Research (EAR) approach is encouraged. • EAR is defined by the ISTAG: they are designed for an early involvememnt of users and to create links to structures, business processes and workplace practices of the organisations. • Examples of EARs budget: 700,000 €

22. STREP STREP STREP STREP STREP Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Targeted RTD Projects • Only in the 1st and 2nd layers. • Tasks: • To explore emerging alternatives to pave the way for additional technological advances in the field. • Disrupting approaches are encouraged. For example: • Is there an alternative to Semantic web more adequate to collaborative work? • To investigate ICT-bio, ICT-cogno and ICT-nano convergence in the context of New Working Environments. • To explore human robotics working environments. • To extrapolate collaborative games experience to collaborative work

23. Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks CA/SSA Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Co-ordination Activities and Specific Support Actions (I) • Aim: • to promote and support the networking and coordination of research and innovation activities needed for European leadership in ICT-enabled Collaborative Working Environments.

24. Validating Applications Tools for collaborative tasks CA/SSA Core (crucial) Services for distributed collaboration at work SO 2.5.9. Co-ordination Activities and Specific Support Actions (II) • Tasks: • To ensure that the work is consistent across IPs and STREPs. • To promote joint research activities with national programmes, to define future research agendas or to identify emerging topics and research groups world-wide. • Collaboration with international research and standardisation activities to achieve internationally agreed reference architecture for collaborative work.

25. SO 2.5.9. SMEs • Actions targeting SMEs developing collaborative tools and application are encouraged (2nd and 3rd layers) • Aim: • To achieve better interoperability of complementary services and tools. • To leverage on innovative SMEs.

26. SO 2.5.9. ERA activities • Aim: • To complement the ERA pilot project on CWE launched in the call 3. • strengthen and complement research carried out under ESA, EUREKA and national initiatives. • In particular, links to Eureka ITEA projects related to Nomadic and Cyber-Enterprise domain applications should be described to assess synergies and inter-dependencies in terms of timing and funding.

27. For More Information... • Main source of information: www.amiatwork.com Includes: • Workshops on CWE. • Collaboration @ Work Expert Group (CWEG): • 1st Report on NGCWE vision and ICT challenges • 2nd Report on Applications scenarios for NGCWE • Advisory group • Research papers and project results. • Web Ring of CWE related projects (If you want to be incorporated to this web ring, please send an email to: elena.leibbrand@cec.eu.int with copy to Isidro.laso@cec.eu.int) • SO EC contact person: Isidro Laso-Ballesteros • Isidro.laso@cec.eu.int