Telecommunications technologies for energy efficiency supported by future networks

In previous articles in this column we have described European public co-funded research programs, funded by the European Commission (EC) and/or national governments [1-4]. We explained that Framework Programme 7 Information and Communication Technologies (EC FP7-ICT) is the most relevant program with the largest budget. Currently the 2011-2012 European Union (EU) ICT Work Programme is running, and in this article we provide an overview of the differences with respect to the previous Work programme, highlighting its focus on a greener economy and the improvement of the enterprises´ technological conditions. We also note the more applied and nearer-term aspect that is included in this Work Programme.