Celtic declares a new era of telecoms
in Europe
EUREKA cluster Celtic presents R&D results and
future outlook in Dublin
 A new era of
telecommunications is arising in Europe, according to Jacques Magen, the
chairman of EUREKA cluster Celtic. At the opening of the two-day ‘Celtic
Event’ in Dublin on 23 February, Mr Magen pointed out that the integrated
R&D efforts of the European telecoms industry and the public authorities
within Celtic are providing a major push for innovative communication
services in Europe.
“Celtic has now reached a critical mass, which makes it a driving force
for innovation in European telecoms. Since 2003, close to 30 projects have
been launched with an annual effort of about 1,000 person years and an
annual budget of 100 million euro,” Mr Magen said.
José Jimenez, the current vice chairman and new chairman-elect of Celtic,
added that the innovation push from Celtic will be enhanced through the
cooperation between Celtic and the European Technology Platforms NEM
(Networked and Electronic Media), eMobility, and NESSI (Networked European
Software and Services Initiative) in the context of the forthcoming 7th EC
Framework Programme for Research. For the coordination of the future work
of the NEM platform and of Celtic a liaison meeting was organised in
Dublin in connection with the Celtic Event. Similar liaisons are also
planned for the eMobility and NESSI platforms.
The ‘Celtic Event’ is the first major exhibition of Celtic projects after
Celtic was launched. On the first day of the event, 18 Celtic projects
will present their achievements to innovate Europe. The scope of topics
includes a number of next-generation broadband and multi-media and new
mobile services, novel solutions for Digital Rights Management, and a
range of technologies for enhancing the capabilities of telecommunication
networks. What distinguishes Celtic projects is the fact that all of them
take the whole telecommunications system, from end to end, into account.
The second day is dedicated to discussing visions for the future of
telecommunications and the role of Celtic in the European research
landscape.
 About 200 participants from 30 countries, including numerous decision
makers from industry and public administrations, are participating in the
event at Dublin Castle. The event is co-organised together with Enterprise
Ireland. Dr. Martin Lyes, Head of Programmes & Directorate at Enterprise
Ireland, underlined the importance of the event for Ireland: “Two of
Enterprise Ireland's five targets over the next five years relate to
companies' decisions to invest in research and development. That makes the
present event, as far as the telecommunications sector is concerned, a
very appropriate one for Enterprise Ireland to co-host. I have every
confidence that many of the Irish-based companies participating in Celtic
Event 2006 will be assisted thereby in their future approach to R&D-based
expansion."
About Celtic
Celtic is a EUREKA cluster programme, which initiates and runs privately
and publicly funded R&D projects in the field of telecommunications. The
initiative is supported by most of the major European players in
communication technologies. Celtic projects are focusing at telecoms
networks, applications, and services based on a complete-system approach.
Celtic is the only European R&D programme fully dedicated to complete
system-integrated telecommunications solutions. The size of the Celtic
budget is in the range of 1 billion euro. Celtic is open to any kind of
project participants from all EUREKA countries. So far, 29 countries
participate in Celtic. Celtic is operated and supported by the following
major players in telecommunications: Alcatel, BT, Ericsson, Eurescom,
France Telecom, Italtel, Nokia, RAD, Telefónica, Thomson, and recently
joined Deutsche Telekom.
Celtic website:
www.celtic-initiative.org
About EUREKA
EUREKA is a pan-European network for market-oriented, industrial R&D.
EUREKA supports the competitiveness of European companies through
international collaboration, in creating links and networks of innovation.
The objective is to bring high quality research and development efforts to
the market and to use the multiplying effects of co-operation. The aim is
to advance and improve the quality of life. EUREKA website:
www.eureka.be
About Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish state development agency focused on
accelerating the development of Irish companies. The vision of Enterprise
Ireland is to transform Irish companies into businesses that are market
focused and innovation driven. Enterprise Ireland works with its clients
through a network of 13 Irish offices and 33 international offices.
Enterprise Ireland website:
www.enterprise-ireland.com
Press release for download in pdf
format (77 kb)
Press contact
Milon Gupta, Public Relations Officer, Celtic Office c/o Eurescom
Phone: +49 6221 989-121, e-mail:
press@celtic-initiative.org
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