This week in Dublin it has been eHealth week. A chance to look at all the great things digital technology can do for health and care – especially as the average European gets older.

It can be things as simple as a smartphone app helping you take control of your own healthcare (I have a little gadget on my wrist that counts my steps for my exercise regime). Or it can be whole ICT-enabled living environments that make life easier and safer for the elderly or infirm, without costing them their independence.  And it’s great to see some of the new ideas we’re coming up with here in Europe, and how we can put them into practice to benefit all our citizens.

First, I helped launch the eHealth Week itself. It’s a pleasure to see that Irish Ministers are giving this issue the political attention it deserves. It’s clearly something that matters to the Irish government: both as a country confronting its own health challenges, and as Council Presidency spreading this message to Europe.

While I was there I got a catch-up on our European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. One of the groups directly involved showed me some of their 37 good practices they’ve been collecting for integrated care. Those good practices are already bringing “real life” solutions that help around 13 million people; further toolkits based on them could reach 20 million citizens within the next 2 years.

Plus, many of the most creative eHealth innovations come from smaller companies. Our SME eHealth Competition to find the best eHealth ideas among those smaller companies, attracted an incredible 212 applications. It was a pleasure to see such a strong field – and a pleasure to reward the most innovative and talented ideas. Well done all of you!

And today I spoke to AGE about other work we are doing in the field of eHealth. Too many people see an ageing population as a burden: I see it as a triumph of modern science, and a blessing for our people. It does mean we need to adapt – like to deal with longer-term and degenerative conditions that call for a different kind of care. But equally, ICT tools give us an opportunity to make that change – as long as we are able to use them to the full.

One participant during our event in Dublin asked a very telling question: “Why is all the ICT used by the banks?” And that’s a good question. It’s true that digital tech offers a huge boost for our economy, including the financial system. But it’s time we realise how much it also has to offer for our public services and our society – if we dare to innovate.

Twitter hashtag: #eHW13

I often find it’s the younger generation – digital natives – who are most aware of the opportunities of digital technology. And that’s why I’ve assembled a group of “young advisors” – talented and inspiring young people shaping our digital society. Last time we met I asked them to put together all their bright ideas. And they’ve done so, in two fascinating documents:

1. First, their ideas on education. This is an area where digital technology can really transform the landscape: teachers no longer need to be gatekeepers to arcane knowledge, but can be mentors as students explore the knowledge available for all online. That’s a very different philosophy calling for a radically different system. But recent research suggests Europe isn’t doing so well at responding. Meanwhile, of course, we need to educate people with new 21^st century skills – with 90% of jobs needing digital skills and Europe short of nearly one million skilled ICT workers. So take a look at their detailed ideas on how to transform education for the digital age, from the role of teachers and parents to open resources to lifelong learning.

2. And I also asked for their thoughts in other areas too. From copyright to openness and encouraging entrepreneurship. Again they came up with some great stuff– see for yourselves!

Anyway, if this sounds interesting to you I suggest you read it direct from them! I’m certainly going to consider those ideas very carefully and take account of them – like for the paper Commissioner Vassilliou and I are working on, “Opening up Education“.

But I know my young advisers are not the only ones with good ideas – on education or other issues. So I’ll ask you, my blog readers, too. What are your views on the ideas they’ve set out? Where else are we failing to take advantage of digital potential?

To kick off European Month of the Brain (#brainmonth), a blog about the exciting brain research initiatives being led from both sides of the Atlantic.

You may have seen our recent announcement about the human brain project (HBP). The deserved joint winner of our Future and Emerging Technology scheme; and hence recipient of around €1 billion euros in funding over 10 years.

Separately you may also have seen President Obama’s initiative on Brain Activity Mapping (BAM), worth $100 million in the first year.

So how do those initiatives fit together? Five quick points about their relationship.

First, although led from Europe, our Human Brain Project already benefits from wide international collaboration. Including many prestigious US institutions.

Second, President Obama’s announcement again confirms this is an important area of research. Understanding the brain isn’t just a philosophical puzzle; it has practical scientific value. And not just as an organ of the body, but as an intelligent system with plenty to teach us.

Despite great progress over recent decades, there is much more still to be discovered. From computers that think like our brains do (like computer networks that replicate brain structure to better cope with ‘big data’), to detecting and curing the brain disorders that affect up to one third of Europeans each year – from Alzheimer’s and autism to schizophrenia.

Third, in two such large and fertile areas of research, there are many possible approaches. And indeed these two projects do come at the problem from different angles. The HBP is building integrated models and platforms, from the generic and molecular level right up to modelling whole functions, like how we think or feel emotions. It will largely use existing data, but should give brain researchers access to innovative tools and services. On the other side, the US BAM project is looking to record actual brain activity, ultimately to map out human brain functions.

Fourth, these two projects can help each other – they will (so to speak) “pick each other’s brains”. On the one hand, data from the BAM can feed into and improve the HBP models; conversely, the US project can use HBP platforms to test out and improve its own models.

And finally, I hope there is continuing intense cooperation between the two projects. Already I know the HBP project leader, Henry Markram, is in frequent touch with many of those in the lead on the BAM. But I’d like to see cooperation at other levels: like becoming part of our regular political dialogue with the US; just as we as already cooperate with the US in detail in areas from e-Health to cybersecurity.

In short, I welcome both initiatives. I am confident there will be cross-fertilisation without duplication. Most of all I’m convinced that, by putting their grey matter together, researchers in the EU and US can deliver a better world for all our citizens.

Starting tomorrow, and over the course of May, it’s European Month of the Brain. More than 50 events will highlight how brain research can answer questions massively important to our economy and society. So stand by for more! (Twitter hashtag: #brainmonth)

A tweet I sent this morning has proven surprisingly popular, at least I was not expecting it. And you might want to see it.

To me the point is: mobile operators need to respond to what customers want, wants that may change quickly.
What is for certain is customers don’t want to be overcharged for SMS and if they are, they’re happy to get what they need elsewhere.
And millions clearly like chat apps, so they should be able to get access to them.

Lasers used in manufacturing

The EU has billions set aside for research and innovation. The intention isn’t to subsidise industries – but to invest in an innovative, competitive and sustainable future.

The best publicly-funded research and innovation supports areas that both sustain and boost wider sectors of the economy – and also fix the problems of our society, from climate change to healthcare. And preferably it should be in areas where Europe is in the global lead - and where a little push can help us stay that way.

One of those areas is definitely photonics: the use of light, from lasers to LEDs. Because from household lighting to laser manufacturing; from communications to cancer detection - photonics matters to our society, our economy, and our people. In Europe alone, it’s an industry that directly employs nearly 300,000 (including in over 5000 small and medium-sized companies) – but has a wider impact on around 10% of all jobs in Europe.

That’s why (like, for example, electronics), it’s called an “enabling” technology: one that supports innovation in many other sectors. But more than that: it’s one where Europe is globally strong, with 20% of the world market. And I intend to keep it that way.

The Grand Place in Brussels, lit up thanks to LED technology

Horizon 2020, which should be agreed shortly, will provide significant funds for this incredible sector. But I want to make your tax money work as hard as it can. So a couple of years ago, I proposed a public-private partnership in photonics.

Today I met people from the photonics industry - and they presented me with a clear roadmap for how we can create that partnership. It’s a proposal that’s ambitious and strategic. And indeed, by combining EU money with private research & innovation funding, that proposal would make your tax money work 5 times harder.

Over 60 companies and research institutes have already signed up; and I’m looking forward to more doing so. Hopefully, we will be able to have it up and running right from the launch of Horizon 2020. It’s an investment that will pay off for Europe.

*** A special note: thank you once again for coming to read my blog posts. I am very aware that with so many talented, creative people in Europe, it is a waste for me to always do the talking.
So with that idea in my mind, I want to open up this blog to guest bloggers. Not just as an experiment in the summer, like I did in August 2012, but all year round, in all languages.
If you are working on or in support of Europe’s  Digital Agenda and have such a guest post in mind, please be in touch with my Cabinet or my spokesperson to discuss it. ***

Now to our first guests, “OuiShare” from France, from the open source generation.
Oui Share Fest takes place 2-4 May in France.

Sous l’écume, la lame de fond: construire une économie centrée sur l’humain, plus ouverte, plus respectueuse des ressources naturelles et génératrice de bien commun : au premier abord, les promesses de l’économie collaborative ne sont pas bien nouvelles. Après tout, le bon sens de tout un chacun se retrouverait largement dans ces idées.

Nous sommes les témoins d’une tendance de fond qui pourrait bien, pour une fois, faire de ces utopies la réalité de demain. De la finance participative aux circuits courts de l’alimentation en passant par la mobilité partagée, c’est toute la chaîne de la création de valeur économique qui est transformée au crible de la participation et de l’ouverture.

Bien sûr, l’émergence d’internet et des réseaux sociaux contribue largement au succès de la consommation collaborative, notamment en générant la confiance entre particuliers. La crise, elle aussi, favorise ces nouveaux comportements de consommation, les redirigeant vers “l’économie de la débrouille” comme l’appellent parfois les médias.

Mais la réalité est plus profonde et plus complexe.

L’économie collaborative est portée par une lame de fond plus puissante que la crise. Le fait que l’Amérique latine – continent en forte croissance – soit aussi l’un des moteurs du mouvement n’est pas anecdotique : cela démontre qu’il ne s’agit pas simplement d’une réaction à la crise économique que l’Europe et les États-unis subissent.

Il ne s’agit pas non plus d’un mouvement générationel. Certes, les usages des nouvelles technologies sont plus développés chez les jeunes, mais pour autant, l’économie collaborative se place à la croisée de différentes tendances souvent plus anciennes : des startups, et de mouvements citoyens plus récents, mais aussi d’autres initiatives déjà bien ancrées dans la société civile telles que les AMAPS et l’économie sociale et solidaire, portées par les générations précédentes.

Non, ce qui est à l’oeuvre est un bouleversement culturel.

Car au delà d’intégrer de la collaboration et de l’ouverture à tous les étages de l’économie, les acteurs de cette nouvelle économie partagent des valeurs et des aspirations communes : mettre du sens dans leur vie, dans leur travail, dans leur pratiques de consommation.

Héritée des usages du numérique et des réseaux sociaux, cette culture “collaborative” fait la part belle à l’entraide, à la générosité et à la réciprocité. Une culture valorisant celui qui fait, celui qui partage, celui qui ose. Une culture de l’ouverture, de la confiance a priori et du lâcher prise. Dans une société européenne marquée par la défiance grandissante vis-à-vis des institutions, cette culture source de confiance entre individus se diffuse… autant qu’elle déboussole certitudes et habitudes managériales.

La génération Open Source

Le mouvement qui est en train de naître est porté par une génération très exigeante dans sa recherche de sens et d’émancipation. Une génération de diplômés Bac +5 qui ne se retrouve pas dans le monde du travail, du moins celui des grandes entreprises. Une génération qui se détourne du salariat pour créer des activités, pas toujours rentables, car notre motivation est ailleurs.

C’est au croisement de ces mutations socio-économiques et culturelles que OuiShare trace son sillon. OuiShare est un laboratoire de ces évolutions culturelles. En plus de décrypter la montée de l’économie collaborative, nous mettons en pratique ses grands principes telles que l’autonomie et l’entreprenariat, préférant inventer notre propre modèle économique au sein de l’écosystème que nous sommes en train de bâtir.

Nous invitons les innovateurs et citoyens européens persuadés de la promesse que représente l’économie collaborative à nous rejoindre du 2 au 4 Mai prochain lors du OuiShare Fest, premier événement européen d’envergure européenne dédié à l’économie collaborative qui aura lieu à Paris.

I often blog about the capacity of ICT to change lives for the better, and make a real difference on the ground. Here’s one very solid example of where it’s saved energy, saved public money, and empowered people to take control: the pioneering NOBEL project

Nothing to do with the Prize – it refers to the Neighbourhood Oriented Brokerage ELectricity and monitoring system. Aided by EU funding, last year, Alginet in Valencia, Spain got to try it out. A small town with just over 13,000 people, the energy grid in Alginet is owned not by a commercial company, but by a cooperative – whose members are the inhabitants themselves. And they were chosen to test out an “energy brokerage system”: meaning that businesses and ordinary consumers could communicate their energy needs directly to energy producers – who could in turn optimise how they produce and distribute energy.

For example, electricity users could monitor their energy consumption and production – in real time! The “smart meters” they used also communicated data directly to energy producers.

Many of them got to try out a dedicated web and smartphone app to buy and sell energy, cut their monthly bill, and take part in weekly energy-saving challenges. Plus public authorities got to try out in “real life” how they could adapt street lighting to match traffic conditions – for example so lights don’t stay on at full brightness unless there’s someone around.

All in all this was a big success: around 5,000 people used all or part of the system. On average energy savings were around 12% for citizens; up to 58% for large consumers; and 34% for public lighting.

In today’s energy market, with increasing worries about climate change, and public finances under pressure at every level, that’s exactly the kind of innovation we should be sharing and using.  And that’s the purpose of our European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities – a new platform for communities to get together with each other and with the industry to make the most of these new ideas; especially in the rich seam at the intersection of ICT, energy and transport.

I’m told Alginet are already looking to share their findings and the system with other cooperatives – and I wish them the best of luck!

Very sad news from the UK about the death of Margaret Thatcher; so today a blog on my personal reflections of her, and what she stood for.

I remember meeting her first in the seventies; and also a decade later, when I was a Dutch Minister and she Prime Minister. I was myself a young woman in politics; and here was someone who showed that women could succeed, lead and reach the top. Independently of her politics, that inspired me; as it must have inspired a whole generation of women, in politics and beyond.

She often, famously, differed from the views of the European Commission. But she also understood the benefits of Europe, and how to deliver them. She saw the power of the single market, and was prepared to make the institutional changes needed to achieve it. That engagement paid off; and the single market today stands as Europe’s crown jewel – even if the task is not yet complete, with new areas like the digital and telecommunications sectors still not fully benefiting.

She didn’t always believe in diplomacy. I remember her visit to the Netherlands in the eighties. Our own Prime Minister tried to flatter her, noting approvingly that ‘Thatcherite” was already being used as a Dutch word . In response she was pretty direct: observing that “Lubbersite” was far from making it into English, and would not do so unless he was prepared to take tough decisions, rather than merely parroting woolly language. Such frankness is how she left such a mark, not just on the language, but on the whole political landscape.

She famously said she was not a consensus politician, but conviction politician. Of course she has her critics; in politics, not everyone will agree with your convictions. But that approach is worth remembering today: a time when we face many challenges and need to change how we operate. At such a time, it’s worth remembering that sometimes we should not always just be polite and diplomatic, but honest and clear about the direction we need to head in.

The conclusions of yesterday evening’s European Council contain a very significant message for the Digital Agenda. It asks for work to be prioritised in a few areas essential to growth and competitiveness—in particular information and communication services (ICT):

the European Council notes the Commission’s intention to report well before October on the state of play and the remaining obstacles to be tackled so as to ensure the completion of a fully functioning Digital Single Market by 2015, as well as concrete measures to establish the single market in Information and Communications Technology as early as possible.

For anyone who uses digital communications – from mobile phones to the internet – this is important and welcome news. And I would guess that’s everyone reading this blog.

The EU has spent the past few decades liberalising and improving the EU’s telecoms market. That has brought more competition, lower call and broadband prices, and significant new consumer rights. Gone are the days when your “choice” was restricted to confirming you would use the single, national phone company. And we are working hard to prove that sustainable competition and investment in high-speed networks can go hand in hand.

Unfortunately, the EU is still essentially a collection of 27 distinct national telecoms markets. And that fragmentation has consequences. It means that customer choice, for both consumers and business users, is limited to what happens to be on offer locally – and that can vary a lot, due to factors such as diverging regulation or the patchwork of uncoordinated past spectrum assignments for wireless operators. For businesses like telecoms operators, including those present in multiple countries, it means they don’t get the advantages of organising their operations to serve an EU-wide market, and can’t reach the size and scale needed to invest, innovate and compete globally.

Already I know that many of these are nagging issues for many Europeans. Too often, it’s the digital device in your pocket that constantly (and artificially) reminds you of national borders that are supposed to have disappeared. In tomorrow’s world of machine-to-machine communications—connected cars, mobile payments, and the Internet of Things—this could be even more of an issue.

Solving these problems takes ambition: but the potential reward is significant. Fully completing the EU’s single market in digital communications could boost our economy by up to €110 billion a year; over 0.8% of GDP. That’s too good an opportunity to miss.

So, in response to the European Council’s request, I will present a package of measures for endorsement by their October meeting.

I look forward to working with Member States, the European Parliament, the digital industry and consumers over the next few months to prepare that.

This has the potential to make people’s lives easier, make our businesses more productive, and ensure a globally competitive European telecoms sector. At a time when our economy really needs a boost, it’s great to see European leaders recognising the potential of EU action.

Today is International Women’s Day.

I think every woman should have the tools and skills she needs to take control of her own life. Not to be trapped by social expectations, financial dependence or a lack of the right skills.

There’s no doubt for me that ICT is a powerful tool here. Not only is it the key to tomorrow’s labour market, with ICT skills in strong demand. But it can also help achieve your life goals, whatever they are.

From the confidence to use an online forum to find out about family health problems – to the web design skills that can turn that hobby into a viable business: ICT can help you for every kind of profession and for every kind of life ambition. And improve your salary prospects too: today the gender pay gap is equivalent to women working 59 days a year for free: and ICT is one way to catch up, as women in the ICT sector earn an average of 9% more than women in similar positions in other sectors.

So it’s disappointing that women aren’t keeping up. Yet less than 30% of the ICT workforce are women! We should be doing everything we can to change that, and to encourage more women to access those opportunities. It’s not just good for equal rights – it’s essential to our competitiveness.

I’ve been inspired this week by easy tools to improve Europe’s ICT skills. I’ve seen great ideas launched as a result of our Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs: like the simple but incredibly effective Academy Cube, to tell people what jobs they’re eligible for – and what they could become eligible for with the right training.

Now I’m on the lookout for similar bright ideas and innovations that can support getting more women into ICT.

I know there are many worthy initiatives out there. From the great Rails Girls initiative by Finnish Digital Champion Linda Liukas; to the “Lean In Foundation” set up by Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg.

But I’m open to novel ideas for effective solutions, and I want to know what you think. Maybe you work in this field, would like to work in this field, or are trying to encourage others to work in this field. If so, I want to know your views: why are girls and women more likely to ignore the opportunity of ICT jobs? What would turn them on to it? What kind of initiatives work to change those attitudes – and what doesn’t?

On the 25^th April I’ll be going to the European Parliament, to talk on Girls in ICT Day. I hope by then I’ll have lots of fresh ideas that I can take to those decision-makers.  So make sure you send me those ideas: on our dedicated LinkedIn discussion (http://linkd.in/euwomen), or on Twitter with the hashtag #girlsdigital, or check out the Facebook page.