On March 21 and 22, 2024, the kick-off event of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services, took place in Brussels.
Companies and universities from the twelve IPCEI-CIS member states (BE, DE, ES, FR, HR, HU, IT, LU, LV , NL, PL, SI) were represented with their projects. Fachhochschule Dortmund was represented by Prof. Dr. Rolf Schuster and Prof. Dr. Stephan Recker.
Furthermore, representatives of 57 partners of the 8ra Cloud Edge Continuum (8ra, pronounced Ora, is the new brand name of the entire IPCEI-CIS Cloud Edge Continuum), representatives of DG CONNECT as observers (Directorate General Communication Networks, Content and Technologies) and members of the Coordination Office were on site.
In addition to Fachhochschule Dortmund, a further 19 partners from Germany are involved, including Robert Bosch GmbH, Deutsche Telekom and Siemens.
Objectives of the partners
In order to realize a multi-provider cloud edge continuum, a high level of interoperability between existing and future digital resources and processes is required. To this end, the European IPCEI-CIS partners are working together at various levels to jointly develop open and accessible solutions. This is done through the use of open source software, provision of operational blueprints and active dissemination to build a vibrant cloud edge community. The IPCEI-CIS partners are committed to upholding shared values such as the do-no-significant-harm principle in relation to environmental impact and respect for the personal rights of citizens, including data protection and transparency in the development of technologies.
Agenda for the kick-off event on 21.03.
The first day started with a welcome speech and greeting by the host and co-coordinators, namely Tobias Gotthardt, Markus Hess and Luic Duflot. It continued with the presentation of a series of political commitments by the member states, followed by a group photo. On stage were high-level representatives such as Mark Antonissen from VLAIO in the Flanders region, Markus Hess from the Federal Ministry of Business Studies and Climate Action (DE), Jesús Marcos Morell from the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Service (ES) and others. Afterwards, Thomas Skordas from the European Commission gave a keynote speech on IPCEI-CIS in the European context.
This was followed by two panel discussions: The first addressed the need for a European cloud edge continuum and included personalities such as Caterina Cobino from Fincantieri (IT) and Amal Taleb from SAP (DE). The second discussion focused on opportunities for the European digital policy landscape and included Nena Dokuzov from the Ministry of Business Studies, Tourism and Sport (SI) and Manuel Mateo Goyet from the European Commission.
After a short break, discussions on future telco edge business opportunities were on the agenda, moderated by Thomas Niessen. This included key figures such as Lara Grohe from Deutsche Telekom and Roberto Procopio from TIM (IT). Industrial applications through IPCEI were then discussed, with panelists such as Maikel Bouricius from Asperitas (NL) and Thomas Hahn from Siemens (DE), moderated by Katharina Neumann.
The event concluded with working groups on IPCEI goals and challenges, led by Bart Jeroen Bierens and Diego Fernández, and a final outlook and networking reception, led by Ernst Stoeckl-Pukall and Adrien Laroche.
Agenda of the Annual General Meeting on 22.03.
The second day of the event was opened by the Chairs of the General Assembly from Germany and France, represented by Delphine Abramowitz and Markus Hess.
The Supervisory Board then outlined its vision and plan for 2024 and presented its rules of procedure and decision-making structure. Ernst Stöckl Pukall, speaking on behalf of the Supervisory Board, outlined the objectives of IPCEI-CIS, which aims to build a decentralized infrastructure for advanced computing from Cloud to Edge. The project will operate under the brand name 8ra, which emphasizes continuity from Cloud to Edge. The redesign aims to facilitate communication, secure intellectual property rights and promote long-term project outcomes. The project logo will be finalized by June 2024, with a final registration by September 2024. The 8ra mission document emphasizes a multi-provider cloud-edge continuum. Adrien Laroche explained the governance structure, emphasizing 1.2 billion euros of public funding to unlock private investment. The structure includes the Supervisory Board, the Facilitation Group and the General Assembly, supported by a Coordination Office. The rules of procedure ensure fair decision-making and consistency within the governance structure.
Thomas Niessen then presents the objectives of the Coordination Office , which aims to achieve comprehensive European coordination of the 8ra - Cloud Edge Continuum projects and stakeholders. Cooperation between partners will be facilitated by a platform, while the European Commission calls for an Exploitation Office to maximize IPCEI-CIS solutions.
The fourth item on the agenda was the election of the new chairs of the Facilitation Group Supervisory Board. Chloé Spyratos explained the election process for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair, where Alberto P. Martí was elected as Chair and Amal Taleb as Vice Chair.
Katharina Neumann then presented guidelines for communication in the 8ra - Cloud-Edge Continuum, which are based on the mission document and are intended to promote uniform communication.
Lastly, Dominik Wasiluk announced that Poland will host the next General Assembly in 2025 and the event was closed by the co-chairs Delphine Abramowitz and Markus Hess at 12:50 pm.
