The ceFIMS project has maintained close contact with the FI-PPP and has actively engaged with the INFINITY Coordination Action. These engagements, undertaken from the earliest stages of the ceFIMS project have been useful in getting the FI-PPP perspective on ceFIMS activities. Now, as the ceFIMS project comes to a completion and the roadmap document is finalised, it was necessary to again engage again with the INFINTIY project.

With this in mind, ceFIMS approached INFINITY to request a ceFIMS workshop discussion as part of the Fourth INFINITY Concertation Board held at the FI event in Dublin on 8th May, 2013. The theme of the Board meeting was the ‘Adoption of and Opportunities for European ICT Infrastructures’. The ceFIMS workshop session focused on two key themes that are crucial to the relationship between Member States and the FI-PPP i.e. how Member State investment can support the FI-PPP and how Member States can facilitate and support SMEs to engage with and utilise the FI-PPP infrastructures. Many of the inputs received from the workshop touched on these themes. However as the discussions progressed at the workshop, additional inputs on related issues were also offered.

The Concertation Board meeting offered an excellent opportunity for ceFIMS to present its near final roadmap in a dedicated ceFIMS session and to engage with and get additional inputs to its completion from the diverse range of FI stakeholders present at the meeting. Stakeholders present included INFINITY and ceFIMS project partners, Member States representatives (invited by ceFIMS), SMEs and Infrastructure providers. The presence of such a diverse range of FI stakeholders provided an excellent opportunity for interaction between Member States and the European FI-PPP community and in particular to secure additional inputs to the roadmap, based on its presentation to the workshop participants.