›Call for Expression of Interest on support by the Project to the existing/planned Centers of Excellence through provision of technical expertise on ICT standards

Call for Expression of Interest on support by the Project to the existing/planned Centers of Excellence through provision of technical expertise on ICT standards

What is a Centre of Excellence (CoE)?

We refer to CoE as a virtual or a real entity that is linked with an academic or research institute in India. The ideal CoE could be linked with a lab facility, where project topic related research and development is organized and educational programs are run.

Objective of supporting Centres of Excellence (CoE)

Partnering with Indian CoEs is a capacity building initiative of the EU-funded ICT Standardization project, which aims to empower faculty/resource persons and developer community in India that are attached to the CoEs with advanced knowledge of ICT standards from 3GPP and oneM2M.

The primary aim of working with CoEs is to convey and enhance the ICT standards-related awareness and the know-how to the Indian student and developer community through organization of online/offline courses, workshops, and provision of applicable simulation tools.

It seeks to promote the  development of applications and prototypes, which are compliant with the standards promoted by the project. It will enable developers to showcase the benefits of the use of standards by participating in interop/developer events.

The expertise developed through such activities could in turn be used for participation  in pre-standardization activities and contributing to additional development of standards.

Who can apply?

Academic/Research institutions of repute that have an existing CoE, or documented plans to establish one,  and which are focused on the project topics of 5G, IoT, NFV/SDN or related Security, or which intend to expand into these areas of expertise.

Expressions of interest can be sent via email to the local project coordinator, Mr Arun Mukarji (arunmukarji@gmail.com).

Decision Process

Your expression of interest will be shared with the project stakeholders for discussions on how the project can support the CoE. Project stakeholders might ask for more details and/or an in person/virtual meeting before making the final decision.

EoI Format

The EoI can be submitted in a free flowing format (Word document or PDF). It should cover following topics:

Applying institute credentials

Please share information of institute work linked with the CoE. If academic institute then the NIRF ranking for the subject should be mentioned.

Status of the CoE and Project topic it is focusing on

Existing/Planned. 5G/IoT/NFV/SDN/Security.

Activities of the proposed/existing CoE

What has CoE already achieved and its scope of work.

Team/Faculty research background linked with CoE topic

If the faculty is already running courses and research projects on the CoE topic.

Link to standardisation of the activities

Please share the list of activities and contributions of CoE towards the standardisation especially with 3GPP and oneM2M partnership projects. Also, any future plans in link with the standardisation aspect.

Infrastructure available to host simulators and other software resources for public use

Mention if the institute has adequate hosting infrastructure to host simulators if any provided by the project or its stakeholders for aiding students and developers. Also, other resources for developer community which might be useful in their development work.

Existing/Proposed linkages with CoE

Industry / government linkages need to be mentioned

Calendar of activities to be supported by the project

A clear calendar of activities that are proposed by CoE and to be supported by project

Reporting to the project

Define timelines and mechanisms for project to know the progress on activities promised. Also, mention the name of the person who will the single point of contact for any query or clarification.

Sustenance of the CoE beyond project support

The project funding is only for a limited time. Hence, project would be keen to know the CoE’s plan to sustain the activities on their own beyond the project funding.

Note: The reports or any other outcomes created through the EU funding via project should be openly accessible to wider public. Also, CoE should be open for third party visits.

What can and cannot be supported?

  1. Organisation of knowledge events such as meetings, roundtables, workshops, webinars, conferences, hackathons and tutorials in collaboration with the CoEs can be supported.
  2. Travel support for Indian and European experts to attend important standards related meetings organised as a part of CoE activities, can be supported.
  3. Provision of experts for designing and delivering training programs and courses focused on standards, study reports etc, can be supported.
  4. The project can provide the necessary software for proper organization of events.
  5. It cannot support any direct monetary funding or procurement of hardware and software by the CoE (Please read ‘Important Note’ below).

What other support can be provided by the project ?

The project can play an important role in mapping stakeholders for the CoE, as project spans regions and stakeholders. The project can commission mapping of potential stakeholders on both sides (India and EU), who can partner with a supported CoE. The project can support outreach of the supported CoE to find new collaborators from the project community, facilitating discussions through webinars with stakeholders, organize roundtables to facilitate face to face meetings.

Expectations from a CoE

CoE will engage in activities mentioned in para 1 and 2 above with special emphasis on the following:

  1. Prepare reports/white papers, implement courses and activities related to project topics focusing on standards.
  2. Act as a resource center for standards-related matters in its area of activity.
  3. Organise lab visits to showcase the standards-based developments/ implementations.
  4. Undertake activities for creating awareness about standards
  5. Taking measures to sustain the CoE after support from the project is over

Important Note: Intellectual Property and Restrictions

All material provided to CoEs, such as course material, software, etc., produced with project funding remains the ownership of the European Union (EU) and not of the partnering CoEs. Hence, the use of provided support material –including after October 2019- should come with acknowledgment to the source of funding (EU), and the CoE commits itself that it will remain freely available. The outcomes produced by students and developers (like applications)  will be their own property and the project will have no claim over it.

 

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