Contribution to EU policies. The IST Work Programme names two specific priorities in support of EU policies on employ- ment, social cohesion and competitiveness: Fostering the convergence of information processing, communications and media; ensuring interoperability and coherence at a global level. This project makes contributions to each of these. Convergence of information technolo- xxxx requires a common framework, which can only be developed with a foundational un- derstanding of how different resource requirements can be supported in a dynamic envi- ronment. Equally, in a setting where code and other “active” content may move between platforms, coherence can only be achieved where there are standards for communicating re- liable guarantees of resource usage. We expect that the work in this project will contribute knowledge that helps to make this possible.
Contribution to EU policies. It is increasingly difficult to find a single policy document issued by the EU that does not, directly or indirectly, refer to the ultimate goal of sustainability. This is due to the combination of the increased awareness of the sustainability implications of policy making at all levels, and of the improved capability of assessing the causal links between e.g. sectorial developments and the main indicators of sustainability (economic, environmental, societal). Ultimately, one can therefore claim that FLAGSHIP, inasmuch as it has succeeded in shedding new light on the qualitative and quantitative effects of policies that explicitly target a forceful transition towards increased sustainability of the European society, may contribute to the formulation, monitoring and assessment of all major EU policies, particularly in the following EU policies/policy areas: The EU R&D policy. FLAGSHIP has introduced an innovative formulation of R&D policies: in the Metamorphosis scenario, R&D investments are not considered as an indifferentiated bulk, but are articulated in “traditional R&D spending”, ICT-related innovation spending and investment in intangible capital (software, training eetc.). The simulation of such innovative approach to allocating R&D spending shows that the differentiated approach has several merits, notably including (i) a faster and better achievement of R&D intensity targets, and (ii) a better convergence across member states (and therefore more inclusiveness) EU environmental policies, notably for what concerns the achievement of GHG reduction targets, as e.g. resulting from the COP21 agreements. The simulations carried out in FLASGHIP show that, while the achievement of the targets at 2030 is feasible in both the perseverance and the metamorphosis scenarios, the latter performs better in the longer term (2050) and, even more importantly, it entails a higher net increase of GDP/capita, once mitigation costs are deducted. Impact on society at large FLAGSHIP helps formulate more effective sustainable policies, which will in turn reflect on all the indicators of well-being. More specifically, devising optimal pathways of transition towards a more sustainable society requires the participation, or at least the acceptance of citizens. Such acceptance can only be gained if the information made available to the public is scientifically credible and appropriately diffused. Although FLAGSHIP does not explicitly feature dissemination activities that are...
