Consultation report on ICT for governance and policy modelling, FP7 work programme 2011-2012

eGovernment research in FP7 (2007-2013) marks a radical departure from the mainly systems integration approach of FP5 and FP6 by directly addressing complex societal challenges and the demands of citizens and others to have their say in developing and monitoring policies. These issues were picked up by the new focus on “ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling” as part of the 2009-2010 FP7 Work Programme. The call launched in 2009 attracted 58 proposals which significantly oversubscribed the available budget of €15m earmarked for mainly small research projects but also with €1m allocated to roadmapping and coordination. Even though only eight proposals could be funded, this interest reflected the strong relevance of the topic and its growing community of researchers across Europe. This report synthesises the external expert consultation on the “ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling” objective of the 2011-2012 FP7 Work Programme which is expected to be published in July 2010. Other stakeholder consultations will also be undertaken. The task is to examine how to build on and reinforce the current research and ensure that its impact can be even wider and attract more stakeholders. How should the research be adjusted and refocused to take account of changing needs and developments seen from the perspective of external experts and researchers? The starting point of the consultation was a background paper and set of questions covering the theme of ICT for governance and policy modelling. (See Annex 1) These questions covered the societal challenges which the research should respond to, which ICT tools can be used to address these and the outcomes this could achieve, as well as what are the expected impacts and how can success be measured. In addition, inputs were requested on the role of international collaboration, the stakeholders to be addressed and the appropriate FP7 research instruments to deploy