The Budget 2012 consultation document launched earlier this month by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech contained short sections dedicated to information and communication technology (ICT) and research and innovation.
Under chapter 7, Infrastructure, Transport and Communication, there is a short page that outlines some of the initiatives that are being undertaken at a national level in ICT and hints at what’s coming up.
The pre-Budget document says: “The government is working to improve education and information sharing through ICT. The Malta Information Technology Agency is working on a number of initiatives and projects which include an advertising campaign to encourage further use of e-government services, a virtual learning environment in primary and secondary schools, a centralised administrative system for patient records to enhance the service provided at Mater Dei and government health centres, improving efficiency, data security and access to information, and the implementation of electronic identity cards for every Maltese resident which will include information otherwise unavailable on a paper document.”
Most of these initiatives were mentioned in a recent interview with MITA’s chairman Claudio Grech published in i-Tech. The document also refers to the Malta Communications Authority initiatives in the popularisation of ICT and child safety online.
The MCA has also completed a two-year study on a national e-commerce trust mark. This is an excellence label for Maltese products or services sold online, which should raise their profile in the global online marketplace. MCA is also implementing recommendations on promoting foreign investment in Maltese e-commerce.
The pre-Budget document makes a reference to the use of fibre-optic networks in Malta.
“Another important initiative includes a thorough feasibility study on a fibre optic network which was launched in 2010. If carried out, the installation of FTTH [fibre-to-the-home] would enable broadband data transfer rates of up to 100 megabit per second. The government intends to finance this critical ICT infrastructure project through a private-public partnership.”
Back in November 2008 in his Budget 2009 speech Mr Fenech had announced that in 2009 the government would reveal plans for the provision of high-speed “fibre-to-the-home” internet access based on fibre-optic cables.
In chapter three of the document there is a section wholly dedicated to research and innovation.
It makes reference to the new R&I (research and innovation) Plan (2011-2020), expected to be launched this year, which “will take full consideration of policy developments in other thematic areas and policy developments at national, European and international level. Particular attention is being given to the strategic approach adopted in the EU Innovation Union.”
National funding for R&D (research and development) is presently focused on the national R&I programme and R&D incentives for industry. Nonetheless, other funding sources, including the EU, will be looked into as possible supporting measures to realise the idea-to innovation approach.
The funding for the R&I Programme will be increased to €1.1 million in 2011 and the net fiscal outlays for the programme could potentially reach €3.7 million by 2014, the document revealed.
The incentives package for research and development announced in 2009 will be reviewed to identify and address gaps in funding and provide support for ideas to innovation, thus closing the cycle between the generation of a new idea and its realisation as a new product/process on the market.
“With the prospect of Smart City and a Life Sciences Park, Malta has a real opportunity to create collaboration between entrepreneurs, education and industry to spur new technologies and further establish Malta as a regional hub of innovation,” the pre-Budget 2012 document said.