Get a sneak preview of CAPS within Horizon 2020!
Fabrizio Sestini, Programme manager at the European Commission currently in charge of the CAPS and EINS initiatives, and inventor of the CAPS concept, released his presentation on CAPS role in Horizon 2020 during the ICT 2013 Event. Waiting for Horizon 2020 WorkProgramme release, here are some good news!The main point to remember is that CAPS topic will be given a greater importance in the second call of Horizon 2020. In other words, CAPS will benefit from an increased space in the new workprogramme, with the role « to harness the collaborative power of ICT networks to create collective awareness of sustainability threats and enable collective solutions », relying on multidisciplinary and bottom-up participatory approaches.To do so, the call will include four areas: Collective awareness pilots for bottom-up participatory innovation paradigm (24M€), Multidisciplinary research on collective awareness platforms (4M€), Digital Social Platforms (7M€), Coordinating activities in CAPS (1M€). Three of these four areas are categorized under R&I small actions.
Moreover, please be advised that all proposals should be submitted by consortia gathering at least two non-ICT partners, aiming at developing solutions in real world settings, involving clear existing community of users, in order to integrate the outcomes in already existing technologies, without any commercial-driven approach.
For more information about CAPS in Horizon 2020, go check our web page “CAPS in Horizon 2020”. To discover Fabrizio Sestini’s presentation, have a look at our Library section!
Can CAPS change the world?
Can information and communication technologies (ICT) contribute to a more sustainable world, a “better world”, characterised by more controlled economic and financial models, by more ambitious solutions to the environmental challenges, and a significant reduction in social inequality?This question, based on the vision of a desirable if unlikely societal paradigm, was central to the PARADISO project, supported by the European Commission and involving the Club of Rome, that Sigma Orionis had the privilege of coordinating from 2007 to 2011.
Towards the end of the project, at the instigation of the Scientific Officer supervising the project, Dr Fabrizio Sestini1, a potential avenue appeared and was incorporated into the programme for the final PARADISO conference: “Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation” (CAPS).These CAPS can be briefly described as non-commercial, open Internet platforms, connecting citizens to each other (and to the “Internet of Things” whenever necessary) and enabling them:to access information, leading in particular to an improved awareness of issues and challenges, to share their knowledge and join forces more effectively: participatory approach, collective intelligence, collaborative decisions, crowdsourcing, eventually to act more efficiently, individually or collectively, to develop innovative solutions adapted to the social, economic and environmental challenges that are facing our societies.
CAPS can be considered as (grassroots) thematic social networks and online communities such as Purpose, Changemakers and Imagination for people are probably today’s forerunners. Their potential impact is however greater than just that of simple social networks. CAPS can help change the world and contribute to a more sustainable planet.
Indeed, the world can be changed by increasing policy decisions (top-down) and local actions (bottom-up). In the case of the latter, CAPS have the intrinsic ability, through the existence of efficient ICT networks and platforms, to connect, support, promote and increase local initiatives and thus reach such a scale that policy makers are forced to take their “movement” into account (namely in reference to the Lisbon Treaty when a petition can collect at least 1 million signatures).
At the last FP7 ICT call, 10 CAPS projects were selected, including an Integrated Project that will issue open calls designed to fund innovative initiatives. All these projects are set to begin around 1st October 2013.
Sigma Orionis will coordinate two of these projects:
- A support initiative (CAP2020) that aims to promote consultation between all the projects selected and organise an annual international CAPS conference,
- A research project (CATALYST) involving major online communities and focused on the issue of collective intelligence.
Over the next two years, it is therefore likely that we will not only need to evaluate the results obtained by each CAPS project, but also to answer the question asked in the title.
Ten reasons to attend CAPS2014
- Yet another event at the European Commission? Forget it. CAPS2014 offers you two days of interactive activities and great talks! Discover the synergies between grassroots initiatives and EC funded projects: how the topic goes far beyond the European institution?
- You make CAPS2014: you can present your projects and ideas at the BarCamp, record your suggestions for the future and actively participate in the hands-on sessions.
- H2020? That’s easy! Get insights on next CAPS call and join the matchmaking-networking session to meet new project partners
- CAPS2014 is free. Save your budget for travel arrangements—whether by train, plane, or inchirieri masini to explore and discover everything you want while you’re here!
- CAPS2014 is for everybody: geeks, makers, researchers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy-makers and all curious-minded people.
- For the first time all CAPS projects will be gathered together and be at your disposal: join their workshops at the EGG and listen to their presentations of early results at the European Commission
- Great people and organisations are there to inspire you! Some names? Robert Madelin, Code for America, Solve, Barry Wellman, Goteo, Changemakers, Nesta…
- CAPS2014 believes in an interdisciplinary approach: engagement, awareness and innovation are a multi-layered matter
- The first CAPS handbook – written through a Book Sprint collaborative writing exercise – will be issued at the CAPS2014 Conference: download it for free with just a post on your social profiles.
- CAPS2014 is the first edition of the CAPS event: honestly, do you want to miss it and regret it forever?