ICT standards in SEE education: Macedonian case

Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012

ICT standards in SEE education: Macedonian case

Prof. Liljana Gavrilovska

Head of Telecommunications DepartmentFaculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies

[email protected]

Joint ITU-GISFI-DS-CTIF Standards Education Workshop

(Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012)

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://ctif.aau.dk/

http://www.aau.dk/

Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012 2

Outline

General remarksInitiatives, efforts, facts, prognosis …

Case study: MacedoniaICT statusICT standardizationParticipation in SE activities

University practicesConclusions

MotivationStandardization provides essential conditions for transparent development of overall society => SE importantPossible consequences of neglecting SE in Europe*

Reduction of the European influence in international standardization Domination of non-European agents in international standardizationEurope becomes a follower, not a leader in standardization issues

Every EU country must follow the SE initiatives Macedonia should not miss the trainMacedonian government marked ICT as a strategic areaDialog among relevant bodies and Universities already initiated


*Proposals for a coherent approach to standardization education in Europe by Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Hesser/ Dr. Axel Czaya at Educating a New Generation of ICT Standards Professionals EU Commission Workshop 18 November 2009, Brussel

Towards SE

ITU targets standardization education Number of organizations follow up and participate

WSO, ISO, IEC, IEEE, APEC, ICES, IEICECEN/CENELEC, EURAS

SE initiativesHarmonization of ICT standards SE awareness: workshops, seminars etc. Creation of standard related curricula


SE status IEC, ISO and ITU formed World Standards Cooperation (WSC)CEN, CENELEC and ETSI have formed a Joint Working Group - Education about Standardization (JWG-EaS)

Most SEE countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Slovakia and others) are ETSI and ITU members

International Cooperation for Education about Standardization (ICES) and European Academy for Standardization (EURAS) have initiated and harmonized SE courses


EES Standardization AwarenessEURAS White paper* ; by W. Hesser and H. de Vries discussing the current situation in standardization education.Conference on Strategic Importance of Education about Standardization** (June, 2012)The Southeast-European SEE-ERA.Net has been established in order to promote scientific co-operation between the SEE countries. It is designed to contribute to the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan in Science and Technology’ dedicated to enhancement of the European Research Area.Participation of West Balkan Countries in SEE_ERA Net activitiesWBS Regional Competitiveness Initiative (2010-2013)***Standardization, Prototypes & Quality: A Means of Balkan Countries' Collaboration - 9th International Conference (05-06 Oct 2012)…


http://www.euras.org/*ftp://ftp.cencenelec.eu/EN/%20EuropeanStandardization/Education/Invitation20120629.pdf***www.oecd.org/daf/privatesectordevelopment/45870812.pdf

Do we need standards in ICT?:ITU’s Broadband Commission* released first country case studies (Geneva, May 2012) highlighting the links between broadband and the UN Millennium Development Goals in partnership with ITU

Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012 7* www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/Broadband_Targets.pdf

Broadband Target 2015 (ITU – UN)


Outline


Case study: MacedoniaICT statusICT standardizationParticipation in SE activities

University practicesConclusions

ICT sector in MacedoniaStrategic leadership by the Government

Information Society Strategy National Broadband Strategy

ICT responsibilities transferred to the Agency for Information Society and Administration (AISA) from 1.01.2012 AISA closely cooperates with:

Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC)Standardization Institute of the Republic of Macedonia (ISRM)Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC)Ministry of Information Society (MIO)

ICT emerges as a strategic area in education and in the society in general


Notes regarding Macedonia*A nation with a strong commitment to connectivity as a driver of national growth Boasts an impressive broadband penetration rate of 32% on a national level

With 100% company Internet connectivityInternet access in schools and Wi-Fi-based public Internet access points rolled out throughout the country including remote areas Schools offer one Web-enabled computer for every 1.45 children University students and academics can freely access knowledge and research resources via the academic network MARnet

Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012 10* www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/Broadband_Targets.pdf

Internet penetration in SEE*


* eGovernance and ICT usage report for SEE – 2nd edition, Sarajevo 2010www.undp.ba/upload/publications/eGovernance%20and%20ICT%20Usage%20Report%20for%20South%20East%20Europe%202.pdf

SE status in Macedonia (1/2)*

Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 October 2012 12* Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia

ICT educational centers

SE status in Macedonia (2/2)*

Academic institutions offering ICT education


* Workforce Demand Survey for the ICT Industry in Macedonia 2009 prepared by SMMRI Skopje supported by USAID, Macedonia for ICT Chamber for commerce – MASIT, www.masit.org.mk

Membership in international organizations

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)European Telecommunication Network Operators’ Association (ETNO)European Telecommunications Standardization Institute (ETSI)International Satellite Communications Organization (INTELSAT)European Satellite Communications Organization (EUTELSAT)International Satellite Organization (INMARSAT)European Broadcasting Union (EBU)European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)World Trade Organization (WTO)


Important ICT pillars

MASIT - ICT Chamber of Commerce - www.masit.org.mkEconomic Chamber of Macedonia / IT Association - Macedonian Association of the IT Companies - www.mchamber.org.mkMacedonian Chambers of Commerce / ICT Chamber - www.sojuzkomori.org.mkMacedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts - www.manu.edu.mkMacedonian e-Society Association (MESA) - www.e-society.org.mke-Gov Project - www.egov.org.mk Foundation for sustainable ICT solutions “Metamorphosis” - www.metamorphosis.org.mk


http://www.masit.org.mk/

ICT standardization statusThe focal standardization body in the country

Standardization Institute of the Republic of Macedonia (ISRM) http://www.isrm.gov.mk

ISO/ISRM Awareness-Raising Seminar (Sep 2009) 29 participants from production, educational institutions and governmental bodies

ISRM is a full-fledged member of European standardization committees CEN and CENELEC (since June 2012)

“The accession of ISRM as a full member of both CEN and CENELEC is a very positive development, not only for the European Standardization System, but also for the economy of the Balkan region and the whole of SEE. It means that the fy Republic of Macedonia can become fully integrated into the European Single Market.” (Mrs Elena SANTIAGO CID, Director General of CEN and CENELEC)


Participation in ICT standard establishment

Contribution to ICT standards ISRM ongoing activitiesActive participation in COST, EC FP7, NATO SfP

Cooperation in transition processes towards European initiatives (e.g. digital television transition)Improvement of knowledge and awareness on ICT standards among industry, SMEs and consumers


National SE efforts (ISRM)Seminars and workshops

ISO/ISRM Awareness-Raising Seminars:e.g. “Standards, quality and global competitiveness”

Workshop on participation of ISRM’s Technical Committees in the work of CEN/CENELEC Tech. Committees Development of a standardization strategy to ensure and encourage the involvement of all stakeholders


National SE efforts (cont.)ITU:

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEEIT) is an ITU Centre of Excellence (CoE)Two e-learning courses already successfully conducted

FEEIT:Apart from the students’ curricula, FEEIT regularly offers various courses on new standards and technologies (e.g. UMTS, LTE, Iv6, VoIP etc.) for broad professional auditorium (continued education)

CISCO:Academia available for ICT professionals (standard based)



Outline


Case study: Macedonia ICT status ICT standardization Participation in SE activities

• University practices• Conclusions

University curricula• A handful of courses based on relevant ICT

standards, e.g. IEEE 802 family of standards, 3GPP, optical networks, DOCSIS, multimedia, etc., offered to students majoring in Telecommunications and Information Engineering

• Specific courses related to ICT standards: Standardization and regulations in

telecommunications (BSc level) Business management in telecommunications

(MSc level)• Continuous curricula updates to accommodate the

new technologies (e.g. LTE, LTE-Advanced, DVB-T etc.)

• AEC in cooperation with the university initiated a master program in the ICT standardization and regulation field



Outline

• General remarks Initiatives, efforts, facts, prognosis …

• Case study: Macedonia ICT status ICT standardization Participation in SE activities

• University practices• Conclusions

Conclusions• SE aids to bridge the gap among the latest

ICT developments and the society’s potential to transparently follow them

• The academia can foster the process by introducing SE in the curricula on all levels

• This synergy among the standardization responsible bodies and academia will faster the developments towards a comprehensive ICT-based society

• SEE undertakes a number of actions towards SE awareness and active participation



Contact: [email protected]

Balkan Countries Initiatives

• Standardization, Prototypes & Quality: A Means of Balkan Countries' Collaboration - 9th International Conference [05-06 Oct 2012]

• http://www.euras.org/ EURAS White paper, 2011; by Wilfried Hesser and Henk de Vries discussing the current situation in standardization education.

• CONFERENCE ON THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION ABOUT STANDARDIZATION –

• A DIALOGUE WITH ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY; 29 June 2012 CEN-CENELEC Meeting Centre, Avenue Marnix 17, 1000 Brussels

• PARTICIPATION OF WEST BALKAN COUNTRIES ... Specific support activities for the 'Western Balkan Countries' must be included in FP7 to foster ... investments in R&D-infrastructure according to European standards.(SEE_ERA Net activities)

• 2007 Macedonia become a member of CEFTA• WESTERN BALKANS REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS INITIATIVE 2010 2013

• The Southeast-European ERA- NET (SEE-ERA.NET) has been established in order to promote scientific co-operation between the SEE-ERA.NET consortium members with a specific emphasis on Southeast Europe. It is designed to contribute to the ‘EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan in Science and Technology’ adopted by the Council of Ministers in Thessaloniki and dedicated to enhancement of the European Research Area.
