Cloud for Europe Project Completes with Final Closing Event and Workshop

Successful initiation PCP bids from suppliers to create a platform to facilitate cloud-based procurement in Europe

BRUSSELS, 3rd JULY 2017 – Cloud for Europe (C4E) has announced the successful completion of the project by hosting its final closing event and workshop and initiating bids, for the creation of a strong platform, that facilitates cloud-based procurement through the public sector in Europe. The event took place at the Federal Computing Centre (BRZ) in Vienna on 21st June 2017 and was attended by delegates representing 10 countries.

The award-winning Cloud for Europe project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP7). The three-year initiative began in 2013, gathering 24 partners from 12 countries to address the objectives of the European Cloud Partnership and helps partners to adopt a well-defined European Cloud Computing Strategy for the public sector.

Linda Strick from the Cloud for Europe project coordinators, Fraunhofer FOKUS, states: “A primary objective of the project was to enable SMEs to participate in European government procurement processes.” Speaking at the event, Strick highlighted the major progress the project has made in this regard, commenting: “Through Cloud for Europe we have successfully initiated Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) bids from suppliers for three separate lots, creating a strong platform that facilitates cloud-based procurement.” The three lots are:

1. Federated Certified Services Brokerage (FCSB) for EU Public Administration Cloud
2. Secure Cloud Adapter for Legislation Aware Storage and a Proof of Concept
3. Legal document in Oasis XML and the Legal Ontology by W3C

The participating organisations in the three lots are: Cap Gemini, CNR – ICAR, NTT DATA, CNR – ICAR, TECNALIA, InterWay, University of Bologna, University of Salento, University of Messina, and Teamnet.

Leire Orue-Echevarria, TECNALIA states: “Cloud for Europe is allowing us to create a tangible asset, in our case the FCSB, closer to the market in a very short time, compared to what would be achieved from a regular research and innovation project. C4E has also allowed us to participate in a project that has market pull, a real need from a stakeholder, rather than technology push, while solving a real research challenge coming from one of the driving economy forces in Europe, the public sector.”