As a remedy after the financial and economic crisis that hit Europe (and the world) 2008/09, a European Economic recovery Plan 2010-2013 for Public-Private partnerships has been adopted. Three additional Objectives take account of this Plan:

Challenge 7 of the ICT programme ist dedicated to Independent living, inclusion and Governance. Currently 30% of Europe’s population is not actively participating in the information society. Information and communications technologies (ICT) can go a long way towards addressing the challenges of independent living and inclusion by, for example, extending the time during which elderly people can live independently in their preferred environment or providing a basis for a new generation of inclusive products and services that will help integrate people who are at risk of exclusion.

Funding schemes refer to project types (formerly called "instruments"). They determine partnership size, budget, funding percentage and content (e.g. research in collaborative projects like Integrated Projects and STREPS; support activities in Support Actions, or coordination activities in Coordination Actions and Networks of Excellence).

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Challenge 6 of the ICT programme ist dedicated to Mobility, Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency. Europe needs to invest in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and shape their use to improve road safety and meet our goal of halving road fatalities by 2010.

Advances in ICT can also help combat environmental degradation and ensure sustainable use of natural resources, while improving efficiency in energy production and use, and modernising energy networks.

The objectives (=sub-themes) of this challenge are:

Call 5 is closed now. the below objectives and links are kept for informative purpose only. Please refer to Call 6 for proposal submission.

Call 5: Published on 31 July 2009, with a deadline on 26 October 2009.
Open parts of the Work Programme 2009/2010:

The field of Technology-enhanced learning described the support of any learning activity through technology (ICT). ICTs are seen as great enablers of learning as learning through them is independen of time, place and pace.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Objective ICT-2009.4.2: Technology-Enhanced Learning

Simulation is the imitation of some real thing, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system.Key issues in simulation include acquisition of valid source information about the referent, selection of key characteristics and behaviours, the use of simplifying approximations and assumptions within the simulation, and fidelity and validity of the simulation outcomes.[Source: Wikipedia]

Visualisation means the visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. [Source: Wikipedia]. In the context of the ICT work programme, it often refers to virtual simulations in various application areas, using 3D and other visualisation techniques.

This topic is compriced in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Challenge 3: Components, systems, engineering

E-Governance is the public sector’s use of information and communication technologies with the aim of improving information and service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in the decision-making process and making government more accountable, transparent and effective.(Definition UNESCO). It is closely related to the notion of e-Government.

This topic is comprised in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Mobiel technologies refer to miscellaneous portable electronic devices, systems, and networks. [Source: Wikipedia]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Objective ICT-2009.1.1: The Network of the Future

Challenge 5 of the ICT programme ist dedicated to Sustainable and personalised healthcare. The health sector is clearly an information intensive sector which increasingly depends on information and communication technologies.

The objectives (=sub-themes) of this challenge are:

>Objective ICT-2009.5.1:Personal health systems

A "challenge" in the context of FP7 is a main topic. Challenges of Work Programme 2009/2010:

> Challenge 1:Future internet

Link to CORDIS Future internet

>Challenge 2:Robot and robotic systems

Link to CORDIS Robot and robotic systems

Trustworthiness is a moral value considered to be a virtue. A trustworthy person is someone in whom we can place our trust and rest assured that the trust will not be betrayed. [Source: Wikipedia]

Education and training is addressed in the ICT Work Programme mainly under support or coordination actions. Whereas every research project might have a module on training, the following Challenges/Objectives refer explicitly to it: 

>Objective ICT-2009.3.1: Nanoelectronics

>Objective ICT-2009.3.2:Micro/nanosystems

Service infrastructures in the ICT context are on-line service systems or platforms which support adaptability, interoperability, scalability etc. of services for citizens and businesses.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Challenge 1: Pervasive and Trustworthy Network and Service Infrastructures

An electronic device is any physical entity in an electronic system whose intention is to affect the electrons or their associated fields in a desired manner consistent with the intended function of the electronic system. [Source: Wikipedia] In the context of the ICT programme, nano-scale electronic devices and the development of organic electronic devices are at its focus.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is using less energy to provide the same level of energy service. An example would be insulating a home to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve the same temperature.

The Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) experimental facility is a new initiative to support research on the Future Internet at different stages of the R&D cycle. Participation from third countries (ICPC/INCO countries) in particular at use level is encouraged.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

High-risk research refers to research activities in hitherto unexplored areas with uncertain outcome. These projects may spearhead future research, but the risk of failure is high.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

4.8  Future and Emerging Technologies

A network is an interlinked group of otherwise single items.

A telecommunications network is a network of telecommunications links and nodes arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes. Examples are:

Challenge 4 of the ICT programme ist dedicated to the Digital Libraries and Content. Organisations, public and private, are faced with maintaining, managing and exploiting increasing amounts of data and knowledge, in environments that are continually changing. New ways of expressing and representing cultural and scientific content in digital form are creating new opportunities for people to experience and share assets.

The objectives (=sub-themes) of this challenge are:

The European Commission established Information Society Policy Dialogues with a number of Third Countries, such as Brazil, to discuss relevant issues (e.g. Internet security) and identify priorities in mutual collaboration. Science and Technology Agreements (S&T Agreements) as those between the EU and Chile, Argentina and Brazil set the scene for continuous cooperation.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

In the context of ICT, an intuitive system is "an incompletely founded concept or perception formed from associations to similar models, contexts, or scenarios, in humans frequently below the level of conscious iteration" [Source: Wikipedia].

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Language technology is often called human language technology (HLT) or natural language processing (NLP) and consists of computational linguistics (or CL) and speech technology as its core but includes also many application oriented aspects of them. Language technology is closely connected to computer science and general linguistics.[Source: Wikipedia]
Within the ICT programme, one focus is Machine Translation (MT), a major challenge to language technologies.

Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder.[Source: Wikipedia] With regard to the ICT programme, ICT solutions for persons suffering from stress, depression and bipolar disorders (manic depression) are sought, e.g. multi-parametric monitoring systems. [Source: ICT programme]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Miniaturised systems are microsystems such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS).Their relevance comes not only from the importance of this market, but also from the high added value that smart miniaturised heterogeneous systems provide to the applications and systems into which they are inserted. [Source: CORDIS]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

In general terms, mobility is the ability to move. With regard to the ICT programme, mobility can refer to support bodily mobility (e.g. for impaired people), physical mobility (e.g. energy-saving for transport) or persons' mobilty (e.g. remote workplace).

Nanoelectronics refers to the use of nanotechnology on electronic components, especially transistors. Although the term nanotechnology is generally defined as utilizing technology less than 100nm in size, nanoelectronics often refer to transistor devices that are so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical properties need to be studied extensively.[Source: Wikipedia].

Patient safety is a new healthcare discipline that emphasizes the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical error that often lead to adverse healthcare events. [Source: Wikipedia]. With regard to the ICT programme, its focus is on the use of ICT for safer surgery, clinical research, and early detection of public health events.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Personal health systems refer to the use of ICT for the improvement of healthcare,e.g.  for prevention, diagnosis, remote treatment and supervision of diseases, management of patient data etc.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Objective ICT-2009.5.1: Personal Health Systems

Privacy is the ability of individuals to seclude themselves or information about themselves. The right to privacy is a fundamental right, laid down in the European Convention on Human Rights, most European Constitutions, and, amongst others, the Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of personal data.
Privacy can be seen as an aspect of security — one in which trade-offs between the interests of one group and another can become particularly clear. [Source: Wikipedia]

Radio spectrum is a range of Radio frequencies that defines allowable or usable channels for specific radio transmission technologies. Radio Spectrum is typically Government regulated in most developed countries and in some cases sold or licensed to operators of private radio transmission systems. (e.g. Cellular telephone operators or Broadcast Television Stations). The range of allocated frequencies are often referred to by the provisioned use. (e.g.

Liver failure is the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic function as part of normal physiology.[Source: Wikipedia]

It is one of the 4 medical priority areas of Objective 5.1 (see below).

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Objective ICT-2009.5.1: Personal Health Systems

In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment for an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology (IT). [Source: Wikipedia]. Resource management is part of the so-called "Business Intelligence", skills, processes, tools etc. to enable and support an efficient business performance. As such, it is of particular interest to SMEs.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions.

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture, and application. Robotics has connections to electronics, mechanics, and software.[Source: Wikipedia]. According to the IFR (International Federation of Robotics), a service robot is a robot which operates semi or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations.

Search and retrieval in the ICT context refer to two main challenges of content management: How to provide easy and accurate access to the tremendous amount of avalable information on the Internet. Search engine optimisation through the use of networking techniques, and user feed-back profiling and contextualisation are some of the issues to be tackled.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Semantics is the study of meaning. The word "semantics" itself denotes a range of ideas, from the popular to the highly technical. It is often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation.

In computer science, where it is considered as an application of mathematical logic, semantics reflects the meaning of programs or functions.

In information systems, identity management is the management of the identity life cycle of entities (subjects or objects). Identity management is multidisciplinary covers many dimensions.[Source: Wikipedia]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Security is the degree of protection against danger, loss, and criminals. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for a "breach of security."

A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass tube. A thermocouple converts temperature to an output voltage which can be read by a voltmeter. For accuracy, all sensors need to be calibrated against known standards.[Source: Wikipedia]

Smart Systems are defined as miniaturized devices that incorporate functions of sensing, actuation and control. They are capable of describing and analyzing a situation, and taking decisions based on the available data in a predictive or adaptive manner, thereby performing smart actions. In most cases the “smartness” of the system can be attributed to autonomous operation based on closed loop control, energy efficiency and networking capabilities.[Source: Wikipedia]

Objectives are sub-topics under Challenges. They give a more detailed description of which kind of project the European Commission expects. These objectives are usually sub-divided into "target outcomes".
Example:
Challenge 4: Digital Libraries and Content has 3 objectives:
Objective ICT-2009.4.1: Digital Libraries and Digital Preservation
Objective ICT-2009.4.2: Technology-enhanced Learning
Objective ICT-2009.4.3: Intelligent Information Management
The "target outcomes" of Objective 4.2, as example, are:

In computing, service-oriented architecture (SOA) provides methods for systems development and integration where systems package functionality as interoperable services. A SOA infrastructure allows different applications to exchange data with one another. Service-orientation aims at a loose coupling of services with operating systems, programming languages and other technologies that underlie applications. [Source: Wikipedia]

Standardization (or standardisation) is the process of developing and agreeing upon technical standards. A standard is a document that establishes uniform engineering or technical specifications, criteria, methods, processes, or practices. Some standards are mandatory while others are voluntary. Voluntary standards are available if one chooses to use them. Some are de facto standards, meaning a norm or requirement which has an informal but dominant status.

"Smart fabrics and Interactive textiles - SFIT" are materials that incorporate molecules or electronics, for example to monitor the health of a person or track a person.

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Objective ICT-2009.3.9: Microsystems and Smart Miniaturised Systems 

A thin-film transistor (TFT) is a special kind of field-effect transistor made by depositing thin films of a semiconductor active layer as well as the dielectric layer and metallic contacts over a supporting substrate. A common substrate is glass, since the primary application of TFTs is in liquid crystal displays. This differs from the conventional transistor where the semiconductor material typically is the substrate, such as a silicon wafer.[Source: Wikipedia]

Virtual (reality) environments are computer-simulated environments, either in simulation of the real world or an imaginary world. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special or stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound through speakers or headphones.

In computing, virtualization is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources. Virtualisation of resources remains an important research driver enabling the delivery of networked services independently from the underlying platform, an important issue for service providers. [Source: ICT work programme]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a wireless network consisting of spatially distributed autonomous devices using sensors to cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants, at different locations. The development of wireless sensor networks was originally motivated by military applications such as battlefield surveillance.

International Cooperation in the context of the ICT programme and FP7 means that partners from third countries can participate in EU funded projects under the same conditions as European partners (with some exceptions, e.g. USA or Japan).

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

eHealth (also written e-health) is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice which is supported by electronic processes and communication. The term is inconsistently used: some would argue it is interchangeable with health care informatics and a sub set of health informatics, while others use it in the narrower sense of healthcare practice using the Internet. The term can encompass a range of services that are at the edge of medicine/healthcare and information technology. (Source: Wikipedia]
In the context of the ICT programme,

A technical standard is an established norm or requirement. It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes and practices.

Target oucomes are sub-divisions of the Objectives of the Work Programme. They explain what is expected under the specific objective under a challenge. Projects commonly can target one or more target outcomes of the same objective.
Funding schemes are usually attributed per target outcome.

A digital library is a collection of digital content, that may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information retrieval system.

ICT solutions could address "Scalable systems and services for preserving digital content", "advanced preservation scenarios", dynamic aggregation of cross-media content etc.

[Source: Wikipedia]

Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. Creativity is fueled by the process of either conscious or unconscious insight. An alternative conception of creativeness is that it is simply the act of making something new.

It is often useful to explicitly distinguish between creativity and innovation.

Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: CO₂) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state.

In health care, clinical trials are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for new drugs or devices. These trials can only take place once satisfactory information has been gathered on the quality of the product and its non-clinical safety, and Health Authority/Ethics Committee approval is granted in the country where the trial is taking place.

Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). 

It is the number one cause of death and disability in the United States and most European countries (data available through 2005). A large histological study (PDAY) showed vascular injury accumulates from adolescence, making primary prevention efforts necessary from childhood.

Biomedical research (or experimental medicine), in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine. Microsystems in this context refer to non-invasive body microsystems for monitoring, diagnosis and therapy.[Source: Wikipedia]

This topic is addressed in the ICT work programme under the following challenges/objectives:

Ageing or aging (American English) is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Aging in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of aging grow and expand over time, while others decline. The ageing society in the Western world poses challenges that can be addressed with ICT, such as independent living (e.g. through household robots or accident alerts).[Source: Wikipedia]

Three-dimensional space is a geometric model of the physical universe in which we live. The three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth (or height), although any three mutually perpendicular directions can serve as the three dimensions. In the context of new technologies and the Internet, 3D is used for computer simulations (e.g. eHealth), virtual environments etc.[Source: Wikipedia]