France 2030: launch of the "Future of Digital Collaboration" research programme

Whether for the purpose of reducing the number of journeys we have to make, improving territorial networking or tackling the problems and transformations of the coming decades, our digital collaboration needs, which peaked during the pandemic, will continue to grow on an unprecedented scale, requiring greater fluidity.

A paradigm shift in the design of collaborative systems is needed, comparable to that seen at the advent of personal computing: collaboration and sharing must become native features of digital systems, in the same way as files, applications, or the copy-and-paste functionality. To this end, shared digital spaces that do not simply replicate the physical world in virtual environments must be developed, with geographically dispersed communities given the opportunity to organise their own spaces as they see fit.

The scientific focuses of the eNSEMBLE "Future of Digital Collaboration" research programme cover:

• the design of collaborative environments and innovative conceptual models;
• the combination of human and artificial intelligence in collaborative configurations;
• the facilitation of fluid collaborative experiences that promote interoperability;
• the provision of support for the creation of healthy and sustainable, energy-efficient groups;
• the specification of socio-technical standards with legal/regulatory frameworks.

The activities carried out will be multidisciplinary (computer science, ergonomics, cognitive psychology, sociology, design, law, economics) and both theoretical and empirical in nature. Beyond these technological challenges, the eNSEMBLE project also has a societal dimension by making these services more accessible to a wider population and thereby helping to reduce the digital divide. These advances will impact many sectors of society – education, health, industry, science, services, public life, leisure – by improving productivity, learning, care and well-being, and participative democracy. Furthermore, by promoting remote activities, they will help to reduce our mobility and the associated environmental footprint.

Finally, the eNSEMBLE programme addresses the issue of sovereignty by enabling new players to offer solutions tailored to the needs and contexts of use.

This programme will also help to position French players in the telecoms, cloud and digital services sectors in a market destined for strong growth, by capitalising on the vision and technical advances of the research programme, but also by providing upstream support for the regulation of the sector to ensure the preservation of our values and sovereignty.