The SAVASA project proposes the creation of a video archive search platform that allows authorised users to perform semantic queries over different, remote and non-interoperable video archives this project will exploit the current trends in computer vision, video retrieval and semantic video analysis. It is also a goal of the project to ensure that its results are capable of deployment in distributed systems and as software services.
However, technology for technologies sake is of little value. Therefore the involvement of ethicist, legal experts and, most importantly, those users who must operate Video Archive installations and services to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities, as well as those of civil protection and day-to-day organisational needs, is required. The SAVASA consortium covers each of these roles.
At its core, SAVASA will use existing reference technologies from the ICT field that have overcome the barrier of system interoperability/compatibility, i.e. between container and compression formats. The project will implement a prototype platform capable of demonstrating unified archive integration and an approach to common search and indexing. The project will also provide a set of tailored video analytics and semantic analysis tools that will provide added value to end-users, but which can also function within a legal and ethical framework. The project will provide an analysis of existing technical barriers/requirements in the standardisation of technologies and procedures, via the validation testing of a prototype platform with end users. Finally, SAVASA will implement a project structure that will ensure that RTD, Legal, Ethical and End User needs are properly balanced and addressed.

The goal of AXES is to develop tools that provide various types of users with new engaging ways to interact with audiovisual libraries, helping them discover, browse, navigate, search and enrich archives. In particular, apart from a search-oriented scheme, we will explore how suggestions for audiovisual content exploration can be generated via a myriad of information trails crossing the archive. This will be approached from three perspectives (or axes): users, content, and technology.

Within AXES innovative indexing techniques are developed in close cooperation with a number of user communities through tailored use cases and validation stages. Rather than just starting new investments in technical solutions, the co-development is proposed of innovative paradigms of use and novel navigation and search facilities. We will target media professionals, educators, students, amateur researchers, and home users.

Based on an existing Open Source service platform for digital libraries, novel navigation and search functionalities will be offered via interfaces tuned to user profiles and workflow. To this end, AXES will develop tools for content analysis deploying weakly supervised classification methods.
Information in scripts, audio tracks, wikis or blogs will be used for the cross-modal detection of people, places, events, etc., and for link generation between audiovisual content. Users will be engaged in the annotation process: with the support of selection and feedback tools, they will enable the gradual improvement of tagging performance.

AXES technology will open up audiovisual digital libraries, increasing their cultural value and their exposure to the European public and academia at large.
The consortium is a perfect match to the multi-disciplinary nature of the project, with professional content owners, academic and industrial experts in audiovisual analysis, retrieval, and user studies, and partners experienced in system integration and project management.

3DLife will integrate leading European research groups to create a long-term integration of critical mass for innovation of currently fragmented research addressing media Internet. The main objective of the NoE are:
-To foster the creation of sustainable relationships between existing national research groups and to start development of a Virtual Centre of Excellence in the field.
-To create sufficient momentum by integrating an existing large number of researchers and resources and to push forward new paradigms on 3D media communication and interaction over the Internet.
-To influence European and world research agenda in several key aspects of 3D Media Internet. 3DLife aims at supporting the creation of a Virtual Center of Excellence in Media Internet and conduct cooperative research in the field.

To achieve this goal 3DLife will integrate complementary expertise, enable resource optimization and sharing, and foster research in Media Internet technology. 3DLife addresses wide, Pan-European integration through dedicated activities aiming at sharing laboratory facilities, technological developments and resources, including people.

To ensure this wide cooperation and to guarantee that the targeted integrative research profits from, feeds back into, and fosters links with research groups of the 12 new EU member states, a Pan-European Integration Board will be part of the project. The technical and integration goals will be influenced by two other external and independent Boards of Industrial and Scientific Advisors.

SA-EMC2 is a support action to establish a Centre of Excellence in Media Computing and Communications (EMC2). The main objective of the project is to facilitate the persistence and lasting impact of the NoE 3DLife and the IP REVERIE project achievements, as well as other projects in the field Media Computing and Communications (MC2). The mission of SA-EMC2 is to bring together partners capabilities, knowledge and expertise to facilitate R&D funding through cooperative projects, joint research publication and technology transfer, while advancing the state of the art in MC2. The activities of SA- EMC2 will revolve around the following key objectives: Academia Industry matchmaking Technology transfer to SMEs Facilitating mentoring, coaching and training towards start-up creation Formation of online and physical entrepreneurs camps and summer/winter schools in the MC2 field and entrepreneurial focus Formation of PhD courses on the MC2 field and entrepreneurial focus Shaping national and European research agendas.