European society is inexorably shifting in form and nature, influenced by powerful factors, including an ageing population, climate change, an uncertain economic situation, globalisation and lightening-speed technological change. In these circumstances, making the best, and most effective, use of resources - human, financial, material - is not merely desirable, it is absolutely essential.
The European Commission is creating the right conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, through the Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) and the EU's new Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020.