WINDS@Antilles Conference in Martinique Report.

Olivier MOREAU

21/02/2009 11:09 am

The conference was organised by WINDS Caribe, a project supported by the European Community under the 7th Framework Programme aiming at deepening strategic cooperation in research and development between the Caribbean and the European Community in R&D ICT topics for the 7th Framework Programme (FP7).

Executive summary

This deliverable presents the results of the WINDS@Antilles 2008 conference, which took place the 11th and 12th December 2008, on the Schoelcher campus of the University Antilles Guyane in Martinique.

The main objectives of WINDS@Antilles 2008 were:

To present the context of ICT R&D in the Antilles from several perspectives.
To present current financial support opportunities for research and development projects with FP7.
To present the WINDS Caribe project and the Internet tools made available to the community.
To validate the set of common themes for EU - Caribbean collaboration in ICT R&D identified by the WINDS-Caribe initial mapping exercise. The four workshops of the conference were organised along these themes.
To explain how to get involved in FP7 and to discuss project ideas.
To present other EU programming for 2007 - 2013 which can be of interest to the participants

In the opinion of the organizing committee, the main goals previously established for the conference were attained since a community of around 60 persons was gathered; among them top researchers in Antilles. Two countries, three islands, four regions were represented. A very high interest was shown during the event, and after.

Three themes of ICT RD in Antilles were validated : fundamental research on data acquisition and analysis, sustainable development and capacity building.

The conference helped to identify critical issues from the various selected topics that need to be explored and shared in the the building of research proposals. It was not just talking – but talking about “what matters” about collaborative high-level research

An action plan to give continuity to several activities engaged during the event was established and is now under way.