The eChallenges e-2008 Conference takes place in the Grand Hotel, Stockholm. This is the eighteenth in a series of Annual Conferences supported by the European Commission, which regularly attracts over 650 delegates from leading commercial, government and research organisations around the world to share knowledge and experience, lessons learnt and good practice in the areas of ICT for Networked Enterprise & RFID, eGovernment & eDemocracy, eHealth, Collaborative Working Environments, Technology Enhanced Learning and ICT Skills, Knowledge and Content Technologies, Security and Identity Management, GRID and Mobility.

The goal of e-2008 is to stimulate rapid take-up of Research and Technology Development (RTD) results by industry and in particular SMEs, and help open up the European Research Area (ERA) to the rest of the world.

The Call for Papers for eChallenges e-2008 closed on 29 February. The Final Programme is published. All presenters should upload their PPT presentation as soon as possible so session chairs can provide feedback. The Call for Exhibitors closed on 29 August.

Delegates should complete payment Registration online prior to the event.

Confirmed plenary speakers include Mr Bo Bladholm, Lord Mayor, City of Stockholm; Mr Sten Nordin, Mayor, City of Stockholm; Mrs Åsa Torstensson, Minister for Communications, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Mr Antti Peltomäki, Deputy Director General, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission; Prof. Per Eriksson, Director General VINNOVA - The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, Mr Per Unckel, the County Governor of Stockholm, Mr Urban Funered, Ministry of Finance and Mr Edmundas Žvirblis, Deputy Director, Information Society Development Committee, Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

eChallenges e-2008 features a series of special tutorials and workshops organised by European Commission officials on participation in Framework Programme 7 (FP7), focused on Living Labs and FIRE (Future Internet Research and Experimentation), ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling on Thursday and Software and Services: Current Status and Future Research Directions on Friday.

There is also a Workshop on Thursday focused on the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme, presenting an overview of the Experiences from the 1st Call and preview of 2nd Call.

Major Sponsors confirmed to date include Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, VINNOVA (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems), City of Stockholm and County Administrative Board of Stockholm. Bronze Sponsors include Future Position X.

SAS is the official airline carrier for eChallenges e2008. Delegates and accompanying persons can avail of a discount by quoting the Event Code when booking flights via SAS Call Centres.

Supported by the European Commission and Technical Co-Sponsored by IEEE, eChallenges provides a prestigious, international forum to share success stories and lessons learnt from applied Information and Communications Technology (ICT) related research at European level (FP6 & FP7) as well as Regional, National and Commercial initiatives. International cooperation and discussion of commercialisation, exploitation & interoperability issues are key aspects of the programme.

The programme will combine strategic keynote presentations, technical, legal and policy papers, business and government case studies, workshops and tutorials. e-2008 will also feature an Exhibition and an attractive Social Programme for partners, presenters, delegates and exhibitors, to enhance networking opportunities both during and after the Conference.