The European Union Seventh Framework Programme - Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Centre (VAMDC)

Background

The European Union (EU) e-infrastructure provides the better opportunities for space related industries and geo-information service to improve access to the data knowledge for services such as global monitoring for environment and security. The EU is willing to invest to maintain technological know-how as well as knowledge in science and space exploration, through the international collaboration likes International Space Station. Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) encourages us to develop a more coordinated, transparent and coherent approach.

Dissemination actions are included within the FP7 e-infrastructure. In particular, activities for promoting the collaboration, technological Knowledge Transfer (KT), coordination and support actions such as contribution for science education, research and outreach are encouraged under this directive. The key important issue in here is the investment return through the knowledge driven economy and increasing public awareness of the results achieved. For example, in the UK alone the space science is £7 billion industry in terms of the annual gross domestic product index. It has the potential to expand to £40 billion a year business known as the recession-proof industry. Other example is for the KT relating to the agriculture world-wide. The FP7 e-infrastructure adopts the appropriate policies for the sustainable food development and planning. The forecast yield knowledge is exchanged among nations. The earth observation data knowledge is transferred as the agricultural statistics and is made available for the industry and retail outlets.

The FP7 e-infrastructure goals include the service providers and partners for the establishment of a platform where they are able to exchange knowledge, new partnership for the development of innovative products is generated including up-to-date information about financing opportunities. Therefore, it is expected to improve the knowledge, structuring, awareness of market, to assess market segments suitable for investment, to identify potential partners and to provide with a capacity to respond to the needs. Any activities generated from the FP7 e-infrastructure should stimulate the industries growth. The networking approach is also expected to have the positive impacts on dissemination of information and KT. The FP7 e-infrastructure programme should enhance the effectiveness and productivity of the scientific and industrial communities, and promote the contribution of scientific and technological knowledge, through

(1) mobilizing the best expertise, in particular academic researchers and scientists, in various fields of science for the analysis of data and interpretation of knowledge, selecting the most innovative and challenging objectives in emerging scientific fields;
(2) extending the usage of available knowledge and archived data, and promoting its transfer to educational bodies, as well as the general public;
(3) developing better tools to process, access, archive and distribute data and knowledge obtained from different sources such as virtual observatories.

VAMDC is one of the EU FP7 projects to create an e-infrastructure for the exchange of atomic and molecular data. This typical KT project involves 15 partners representing 24 teams from EU member states, Serbia, the Russian Federation, Venezuela; external partners from USA and Far East. VAMDC aims for providing a world-wide spectrum of atomic and molecular e-science to the users whom include scientists, physicists, engineers and general public with the interests of atomic and molecular physics. VAMDC is a true KTA for the networking, service and joint research activities. Through the encouragement of the EU FP7 e-infrastructure, the newly-formed UK Space Agency, Research Council UK, STFC, EPSRC and UCL KTA programme; we have the opportunity to apply and to present VAMDC in space science.