New Frontier Services staff have significant experience in the areas of science, research and technology development, and have carried out work in RTD all over the world. NFS has carried out work for both private companies and for leading international science and research bodies and programmes, including the EU’s Framework Research & Technology Development Programmes (FP6, FP7), NATO Science Programme, African Union Research Grants Programme, and the ACP Science & Technology Programme. Examples of EC’s Framework Research Programmes for which New Frontier Services has carried out include the FP6 Research & Innovation Programme, the E-Infrastructures (Research Infrastructures) Programme, the MANUFUTURE (Manufacturing Research) Programme and the Fork2Farm programme.
Examples of our recent work
NFS staff were appointed to undertake the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN2). This network seeks to become the equivalent of the GEANT success story in Europe. A key part of the EU's vision for a global information society, the network is a highly strategic one and its development is closely followed and supported by DG RELEX, DG DEVCO, DG INFSO and DG RESEARCH, among others. The Trans-Eurasia Information Network has been specifically mentioned in recent EU-ASIAN Heads of State and Government summit meetings, and is one of the EU’s most High-Profile Projects in Asia. Part of the review focussed on TEIN2’s financial sustainability and the EC’s financial support for Asian-led governance scenarios for the network and its user applications. User applications covered telemedicine, e-health, disaster early-warning systems, and seismology.
NFS was contacted by NATO to carry out the development and formulation of a project concept seeking to provide Satellite Connectivity for higher education institutes in Afghanistan, with a view to serving as an enabler for an ICT capacity development and education project in the HE sector in Afghanistan. The work involved co-designing the project concept, carrying out an ICT capacity development needs survey among project target groups, developing the detailed project work programme, contacting IT and other equipment suppliers for price quotes, and developing the detailed project costing. A complete proposal co-funding request was then developed for NATO.
New Frontier Services was appointed by a European RTD Consortium to carry out an external review of a multi-media editing and publishing application that the RTD venture was developing. In addition to carrying out a review of the project progress and the application under development, the review also covered the project’s commercialisation plan. Recommendations were provided on the commercialisation strategy and plan in order to improve the prospects for success of the commercialisation strategy.
Working with CSES Ltd., New Frontier provided staff for the evaluation of the Ex-post Evaluation of PASR Activities in the field of Security and Interim Evaluation of FP7 Research Activities in the field of Space and Security. The evaluations were carried out for DG Enterprise
and Industry (‘DG ENTR’) between January and November 2010, and their aims included:
i) Evaluating the effectiveness and quality of research activities managed by DG ENTR in respect of EU Security Research and EU Space Research (FP7 Space Theme 9 ); ii) Evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of programme management and implementation arrangements; iii) Assessing ex-post progress towards the achievement of the objectives set in respect of the PASR Preparatory Action and progress; and iv) making recommendations to strengthen the effectiveness of programme implementation in FP7 Space and Security respectively and help to facilitate the preparation of FP8.
Following the highly successful mid-term evaluation of TEIN2, NFS was appointed to undertake a pre-feasibility study to explore the extension of the TEIN2 Network to Central Asia. The overall objective of the pre-feasibility work was to assess the needs of five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the potential for a GEANT-type network to contribute to their needs, and the feasibility of implementing such a research infrastructure. The work also involved review of development needs in the education and health sectors and potential for e-education and e-health user applications. Assessment was also undertaken of current fledgling NRENs (national education and research networks) financed by the EC e-infrastructures programme and the NATO Science Programme.
NFS provided an evaluation expert to undertake evaluation of FP7 proposals in e-Infrastructures. (INFRA-2007-3.3: Studies, conferences and coordination actions supporting policy development, including international cooperation, for e-Infrastructures). Proposals covered a variety of sectors, including e-education, e-government, and e-health.
