Across Europe, innovative Internet start-ups are making use of web possibilities to try out new ideas and bring them to market. I think that’s really important to our future economy: and I care a lot about supporting those entrepreneurs.
You may already have seen our Tech All Stars competition to find Europe’s hottest start-up talent.
And here’s one other thing we’re doing: the OpenIDEO crowdsourcing challenge. This is about identifying the issues and enablers for start-ups as they launch and grow: and finding the solutions to tackle the issues and support growth. If you haven’t yet checked it out, now is a great time. Read the full entry
Before Easter I had the great pleasure to sit down with a wonderful person – Genevieve Bell – who I’ve long admired, and we discussed our experiences as women working in technology.
The prompt was International Women’s Day, but the value of the chat is much deeper. It’s really about how we make the most of the great opportunities that come with technical progress and the internet.
So, I hope you enjoy watching it and that in coming months I can offer more of these insights into my thoughts, but more importantly the thoughts of the people I meet as Digital Agenda Commissioner. You can follow Genevieve on Twitter handle @feraldata
Maybe you haven’t heard of Photonics? Or maybe you just think it’s something they might use to kill the bad guys in Star Trek? In fact, it’s not just real, it’s an incredibly important field of technology.
In manufacturing, for example, lasers can create new processes that lead to extraordinary high quality: faster, more accurate “zero fault” production, and products that are lighter or easier to customise.
In healthcare, photonics sensors could allow very early and very accurate detection of diseases like cancer: sometimes even before there are any symptoms. And that could ultimately mean treatment that is both more effective and less invasive.
And photonics technology can also be used in lighting for the home, office or street: lighting that is easier to operate and control, more pleasant, and consuming less energy. Read the full entry
Well – I guess if you’re reading this blog you’re already online! But maybe you could still use a digital skills boost to help you get or excel in your job?
Or maybe you know one of the 25% of European adults who’ve never used the internet? People for who joining in the digital revolution could help them access new opportunities: maybe your parents are too scared to use the net to give you a phone call – or your neighbour is looking for a job and could be doing it online?
Get Online Week is designed to help all those people discover the Internet so they can be included in tomorrow’s digital opportunities. And there’s some great new tools to make that easier. Read the full entry
I was really inspired last year visiting Silicon Valley and seeing the fearless approach start-ups have over there. In my many visits and events across Europe, I’ve seen that we have the same talent over here – and could start seeing the same kind of results, too. Read the full entry
What are the ethical implications of tomorrow’s internet?
This is a more complex question than it might sound. We know that ICT already gives a platform for freedom of speech, opening up new economic and social opportunities as well as enhancing democratic accountability. But it can also be the platform for crime, including horrific things like child sexual abuse; and there are clearly implications for data protection, given the vast amount of personal data that can be found online and in information systems. In the future, ICT could have a radical impact on our world, as it becomes ever more pervasive and ever more useful to our daily lives: but what would that mean for privacy or personal behaviour—even the nature of human interaction or society itself? Read the full entry
Tomorrow’s St Patrick’s Day. So today, a tale of how one man is implementing his own “Local Digital Economy” in Ireland – showing how cheap ICT tools can give new life to all parts of the economy. Read the full entry
I recently had the great pleasure to meet Paul-Andre Baran, Romania’s new digital champion. We talked about his many existing achievement in making rural libraries local internet hubs: like making it cheaper and easier to collect government subsidies, reconnecting separated families, and helping people find work – not to mention empowering women in rural communities.
Here’s a short video of our chat. It’s an inspiring example, just in case there’s anyone yet to be convinced of what we could achieve – economically and socially – if we got every European Digital.
So congratulations to Romania for being the first country to respond to my call for digital champions across Europe. Based on our first meeting, you’ve made a great choice! I am looking forward to the remaining member states telling me who they plan to appoint – so we can work together and bring these benefits to every corner of the continent. I hope people in those other countries, and in Romania itself, are as inspired by Paul-Andre’s stories as I am.
I’m convinced that womens’ equality and ICT are two of the great trends of the last few decades– imagine what we could achieve if we put them together and make them work for each other! Here’s my message about how women across the world can use ICT to grasp these wonderful opportunities:
(video subtitled in DE, FR, IT, ES, PL; or see it in Dutch / Nederlands]
Across Europe, innovative Internet start-ups are making use of web possibilities to try out new ideas and bring them to market. I think that’s really important to our future economy: and I care a lot about supporting those entrepreneurs.
