Key focus area of the centre: Mobile media services and processes for quality assurance

Role of the centre E-CLIC Värmland will run several innovative and business driven research and development projects. The main focus of the projects within the centre will be on mobile media services, broadband infrastructure for new media services and service development, and enhanced methods and processes for quality assurance. Performance, security and usability aspects will naturally play a central role in many of the projects. A key aspect will be how to provide new media broadband services to rural areas in a cost effective way, realizing the “broadband for all” vision. A LivingLab approach will be used to bring laboratory based technology-related projects and test-beds into real-life user-focused environments for validation. The purpose of a LivingLab is to create a physical environment where people can be involved in tests of new prototypes in a natural working environment. Such a LivingLab will be created in the new technology building that is just being finalized at the Karlstad University campus, and where advanced wireless broadband networking technology will be available. The LivingLab environment will be complemented by test lab facilities available at Compare Testlab. The Compare Testlab makes available several standardized computer system environments in which new services and products can be tested prior to commercial deployment. The availability of such facilities will facilitate innovation and development of new services at SMEs as well as provide opportunity for governmental bodies to enforce quality control prior to purchase of new ICT software and services. To foster innovation and knowledge exchange, the centre is formed based on the triple-helix approach, where Karlstad University provides academic and research competence, Compare provides a liaison to industry and the county administrative board of Värmland provides the governmental connection. Private companies and additional other partners will be tied to the centre on a per project basis. The E-CLIC Värmland expertise in areas such as mobile broadband and wireless communication, quality assurance, security and usability as well as the LivingLab and test lab facilities will be made available throughout the NSR through collaboration with the other E-CLIC centres. Through virtualization, the testbed facilities can also be made available remotely. Complementary expertise from other E-CLIC centres will also be made available regionally through E-CLIC Värmland. Besides providing research and development competence in its profile areas and making available LivingLab and test lab facilities to the other E-CLIC centres, Värmland will take on the role of coordinator for the project through the County Administrative Board of Värmland and the lead on WP5.	[Geolocation of centre indicated by red dot. Other centres located in map are indicated by blue dot.] Participating Partners County Administrative Board of Värmland  Karlstad University  Compare ICT (consists of 100 ICT-companies). Diverse private ICT companies, participating as stakeholders Background of Partners The County Administrative Board of Värmland (CAB) has the responsibility to ensure that the decisions taken by the government and Parliament are put into effect with maximum impact throughout the county. In this context CAB have worked extensively to provide enhanced broadband access within Värmland and have been successfully engaged in several transnational projects in this area. In particular the BIRD project, which serves as a strong foundation for the current project application, and the Baltic Broadband project should be mentioned in this context. Karlstad University (KAU) has around 11000 students, and just over 1100 staff. It serves as an important knowledge center and driver for regional innovation and development. ICT research, in areas such as mobile systems, multimedia communication, security and usability, constitutes one of the strongest research areas at the university. In particular, KAU are currently involved in several ICT projects in FP6 and FP7, such as Daidalos II, Newcom++, Prime, PrimeLife and Fidis. Compare ICT is a non-profit industry cluster and consists of close to 100 ICT companies in the County of Värmland. It strives to provide competence development and enhanced business opportunities for its members, and to inspire investment in the ICT area. Compare has recently set up a test lab facility, Compare Testlab, and is working together with Karlstad University and other regional partners to establish a regional competence centre in the area of test and quality assurance. Compare Foundation is part of CLOE (Cluster Linked Over Europe) and has previously been engaged in successful Interreg projects such as KNIS and AMFI.	Contact Centre Leader Anna Brunström Karlstad University Activities E-CLIC Värmland will participate in all work packages but will be mainly involved in WP1, WP2, WP3, WP5 and WP6. Read more >> Areas of Expertise Karlstad University Broadband Wireless Networks Transport and P2P Protocols Cross-layer interactions Privacy and Identity Management Network Security Usability Studies Mesh Network Testbed Wizard of Oz Lab Eye-tracking equipment Network emulation software Compare Testlab Test and Quality Assurance Usability Research Telecom Consulting Standardized computer-system environment in which new prototypes, services and products can be tested and evaluated