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On June 29^th 2011, partners of project FIRST successfully held the conference “Think on Internet, breathe the Future: Fostering R&D&I in Future Internet for the development of Colombia and the world”. This event was hosted by Futura Networks^TM and Cintel, partners of Project FIRST.

The conference took place at the premises of Corferias, as part of the program of the fourth and most successful edition of Campus Party Colombia, gathering more than 4.500 participants.

The FIRST conference was installed by Mr. Juan Carlos Serrano, CEO of Futura Networks Colombia, who thanked the audience for their participation and highlighted the importance of the activities of the project FIRST for Colombian R&D&I. Mr Serrano also exalted the participation of high government representatives at the conference led by the Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Mr. Diego Molano Vega. He presented the Plan Vive Digital and the Government’s initiatives to promote the massive use of Internet, as a means to reduce unemployment and poverty, as well as to increase competitiveness of the country and take a leap into a Democratic Prosperity.

The main speakers at the FIRST Project Conference in the arena of Campus Party Colombia 2011

Later, Mr. Jorge Cano, Director of Technological Development and Innovation of COLCIENCIAS, Colombian Administrative Department for Science, Technology and Innovation presented the plans and prospects of Colciencias to support R&D&I in Colombia.

Afterwards, Mr. Mario Castaño, Technical Director of CINTEL, presented on behalf of RECIIF, Colombian Technology Platform on Future Internet, the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), a proposal elaborated by the members of RECIIF on the R&D&I priorities to be considered by Colombian Industry and Academia to strengthen the development of Future Internet in the country.

The SRA covers the following topics

• Mobile and wireless communications

• Digital contents

• Software and Related Services

In addition, two Colombian project initiatives in line with the SRA were presented: the Intelligent Information Security project, by the Research Group on Information Technologies and Networks of the University of Caldas, and the ITVNet Telecommunications System, led by Colombian enterprise Innova IP. Finally, Mrs Ana María Trimmiño, local manager of the project FIRST, invited the ICT industry and the Academia to join RECIIF and to work collaboratively towards the development of the Future Internet in Colombia.

As in every edition of Campus Party, the conference was transmitted live via Campus Party TV.

Representatives of CINTEL and Futura Networks before the Conference