IST 2006 Conference

The event will include: Conference, Exhibition and Networking Sessions

The Conference: Twin Themes

The IST 2006 Conference Programme looks at one of the central questions facing European competitiveness today from two different angles.

"Creating a virtuous cycle between ICT research innovation and socio-economic benefits"
IST 2006 is being held as the Commission launches FP7, its Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (see the EU's IST research programmes), so one of the main themes of the event will be FP7's ICT objectives and procedures.

In today's EU, however, ICT research does not take place in isolation. Reflecting the central importance ICTs play in stimulating innovation and competitiveness in all areas of industry, the conference programme will also contribute to the creation of a virtuous cycle between ICT research innovation and socio-economic benefits.

Purely scientific and technical subjects, on the other hand, will be addressed in the networking and workshop sessions.

Please visit the IST 2006 Conference website for more information

The Exhibition

The IST 2006 Exhibition will be open to the general public. The Exhibition aims to show concrete results of research in and around Europe within the field of information and communications technologies.

The Exhibition is organised by the European Commission together with Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Trade and Industry within the frame of the Finnish Presidency of the European Union.

Please visit the IST 2006 Exhibition website for more information

Networking Sessions:

Networking Sessions and Workshops @ IST 2006: Call Closes 15 June 2006
The Seventh Framework Programme brings new challenges to the forefront and addresses an ever broader range of research disciplines and stakeholders. The Networking Sessions and Workshops at IST 2006 provide an open forum for exchanging views and ideas on how to address these challenges. Networking Sessions provide a meeting place for communities that possibly never worked together before. Workshops present the state-of-the-art in a domain and provide a platform for knowledge exchange and learning.

Networking Sessions and Workshops complement the IST 2006 conference and exhibition. They are selected from proposals submitted by the research communities and other stakeholders, through a Call for Proposals which closes on 15 June 2006. The list of selected Networking Sessions and Workshops will be available by 30 September 2006.

"topic, format and content are proposed and defined by  stakeholders"
Networking Sessions and Workshops (more on the difference here) bring together people interested in a specific topic to discuss project ideas, research activities or partnerships. They are less formal discussion groups than the official conference sessions, encouraging active participation and lateral thinking. 

Their topic, format and content are therefore proposed and defined by the stakeholders - the people organising and attending the session itself - and they are open to everybody who wishes to attend.

Please visit the IST 2006 Networking website for more information