Applications Development

Throughout 2021, our Applications Development department continued to develop innovative solutions, aimed at having a significant impact in European Institutions initiatives.
 
In 2021, three of our most strategic customers renewed their trust in our highly skilled IT consultants and engineers. They renewed their confidence in our capability to deliver qualitative IT services that contribute to the digitalisation of EU and its Member States.
 
  • DG TAXUD, SOFT-DEV: This 8-year framework contract is for the provision of IT services for the development, maintenance and support of Customs and Taxation Information Systems.
  • The European Parliament, ITS20 Lots 1 & 3: This 4-year framework contract covers the provision of IT services, the development and maintenance of core business systems, as well as supporting and steering systems in Brussels. Through this framework contract, we will also provide similar IT services to the Council of the European Union and several other EU agencies located in Strasbourg, Lisbon and Cologne.
  • Eurostat, SDMX Lot 2: This 3-year framework contract is for the provision of IT services for developments based on statistical standards for data and metadata exchange and dissemination.
 
In addition, the eu-LISA agency awarded us a major new contract in the context of the competitive TEF Lot 2 framework for the construction, roll-out, maintenance, and support of the ECRIS TCN system. This is an important extension of the existing European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), that will operate as a centralised system allowing different EU Member States to identify which other Member States have issued convictions of nationals from third countries or stateless persons.
 
We take pride in Creating Value Together with our customers and for Sharing Customer Success! The Intellectual Property Register project on Blockchain for the EUIPO earned the Silver award for the BITE Awards of 2021, in the pertinent category. What is more, the EUIPO was most innovative IP Office in the world.
 
In addition, the new trans-European systems for export (AES) and transit (NCTS), which was delivered to DG TAXUD, received the Silver award in the category of Large-Scale IT Projects.
 
Finally, the Customs IT system CRMS 2 started operations on 1 January 2022, facilitating the real-time exchange of risk-related information between customs administrations. This covers a broad range of risks, such as security risks related to explosives, safety risks related to health, environment or product safety, financial and commercial risks including intellectual property rights and cash controls. The exchange of information has proven particularly useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large quantities of medical goods need to be swiftly checked and cleared for use.
 
We Make It Happen!
 
 

Key highlights in 2021:

 

DG TAXUD
  • CCNEvo: as a subcontractor of Atos, our team has been providing since November 2020 essential development, testing and maintenance services, as well as third-level support for multiple critical horizontal infrastructure platforms used across TAXUD. This includes leading end-to-end in activities such as analysis, design, build, test, deployment, support and other on-demand related requests for the CCN2(ng), SPEED2(ng), CDCO (Centrally Deployed Centrally Operated) and SSV (Shared Ser- Vices) Platforms.
  • CD3/SoftDEV: We continued to support DG TAXUD, creating value by delivering a number of projects and deploying them in operations in alignment to UCC and MASP planning. Indicatively, this includes the following: the new generation of the Trans-European Systems for the Customs export and transit, the first release of ICS2 (new customs pre-arrival security and safety programme), as well as the new central business monitoring CSMIS2 and CRMS2.
 
EUIPO
Development of innovative tools and services for all its customers using next-generation technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence. Coordinate the provisioning and alignment of all environments for supporting and running EUIPO systems, components and applications (DevOps).
 
European Parliament
Evolution and development of mission critical IT systems for legislative, parliamentary and interinstitutional activities (e.g. ITER, Trilogue, Pericles), in different areas of planning, financials and external communication, as well as technical support for plenary sessions.
 
Eurostat
Delivery of major evolutions of several statistical systems (e.g. EDIT, MDE, MDT) and several tools based on the SDMX format.
 
ECHA
Completion of the major and challenging technological upgrade of the ECHA websites to the new Liferay 7.2 baseline. Design and delivery of an innovative and high-volume architecture for the SCIP Database solution to support the Waste Framework Directive Delivery. Provision of business value through Corrective and Evolutive Maintenance as well as Technical Improvements to better facilitate the business needs and improve performance.
 

Managed Services

In 2021, the Managed Services department continued with the implementation of 3 major contracts which had been initiated at the end of 2020:
 
  • EUSS-DWP (End-User Support Services for the Digital Workplace) with the European Commission
  • EUSS-IS (End-User Support Services for the Digital Workplace) with the European Commission
  • UCMS18 (Unified Communication Management Services) with the European Parliament

 

In this context, the following achievements are noted:

  • To support the European Commission’s new policy regarding the hosting of service providers, a “nearsite” facility was established in Brussels. A new office space of 120 workstations was rented and completely refurbished. The office hosts most of the personnel assigned to the EUSS-IS contract. Specific security requirements have been implemented.
  • An “offsite” facility was established at our premises in Patras. This workspace is expected to expand significantly in the coming years to support the European Commission’s new policy and the expectations in terms of financial optimisation.
  • The EUSS-IS contract, particularly the two facilities (Brussels and Patras), was successfully completed an external audit to the criteria of ISO27001 certification.
  • The EUS-IS contract has been growing over the year. At the end of 2021, 7 distinct application support services were implemented in various sectors such as: Grant Management, e Procurement, Health Policies, Identity and Access Management, Human Resource Management.
  • Under the EUSS-DWP contract, our ability to adapt to the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have been repeatedly praised by the European Commission. In 2021, the Publications Office renewed its trust in our ability to deliver Long-Term Archive Preservation services and awarded us the new EUDOR contract, which started in November 2021.

 

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued the delivery of our services to the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank and the European Medicines Agency. During the year, most of our personnel from contracts terminated in 2020 were re-skilled and reassigned to new contracts. Additional agreements have been concluded with business partners to subcontract employees that could not be reassigned to our new contracts.

Our achievements are largely due to our employees whose capabilities and dedication made it possible to establish new teams and new ways of working, despite the additional challenges posed by the COVID 19 pandemic.

 

Professional Services

In 2021, our Professional Services department developed and grew our existing contracts, providing services to the European Commission Directorates-General, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Committee of the Regions and the European External Action Service.
 
  • DIGIT TM LOT 1: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT development, management and architecture to the entire European Commission in Belgium. Netcompany-Intrasoft is fourth in the cascade for this LOT.
  • DIGIT TM LOT 2: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT development, management and architecture to the European Commission in Luxembourg. Netcompany-Intrasoft is first in the cascade for this LOT.
  • DIGIT TM LOT 4: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT Support, IT system administration and web operation management to the European Commission covering the entire region of Europe. Netcompany-Intrasoft is second in the cascade for this LOT. CASIS LOT 1 – Supplied external experts in the domain of IT development, management and architecture to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Netcompany-Intrasoft is second in the cascade for this LOT.
  • ITGM LOT 1: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT development, analysis and management for the European Commission’s research - oriented Directorates-General. Netcompany-Intrasoft is second in the cascade for this LOT.
  • ITGM LOT 2: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT support, training and user documentation for the European Commission’s research - oriented Directorates-General. Netcompany-Intrasoft is second in the cascade for this LOT
  • DEV-PN: Supplied external experts in the domain of IT development, management and architecture to the entire European Parliament in Belgium and Luxembourg. Netcompany-Intrasoft is partner with CGI in this contract.
  • ISDLS II: contract at the European External Action Service. The 4-year framework covers project management, analysis, development and support services. Netcompany-Intrasoft leads the consortium that also consists of Trasys and Almaviva. Our department was also awarded three new framework contracts.
  • EUROPA: The purpose of this framework contract is to provide the participating EU institutions and bodies with a framework contract for the provision of all services needed to design, set up, create, improve and maintain the European Commission’s web presence and other digital communication channels. Netcompany-Intrasoft ranked first in the cascade in the consortium with NTTd company.
  • ITS20: we awarded first position in the cascade of the Lot 1 and Lot 3. The ITS 20 is the main framework that the European Parliament uses to address its needs of project management, analysis, development and support services. ITS20 replaces the Dev-PN framework which will end in May 2022.
  • EISMEA: Inter-institutional multiple framework contract in cascade for the provision of services in the field of communication and organisation of events.
 

SCOPE

For SCOPE, 2021 can easily be described as a landmark year. Our team managed to secure wins in three of the most significant contracts of the EU communication market, namely the EISMEA framework contract for communication activities and both lots in the EUROPA digital communication framework contract.
 
The significance of these wins cannot be overstated. Together, they represent the foremost tools in the hands of the European Institutions to raise awareness on a number of issues across Member States. The first signs are indeed encouraging, and our teams are engaged in some of the more interesting communication campaigns carried out across Europe.
 
At the same time, existing projects reached significant milestones and new ones were added. These include projects with decentralised agencies like ENISA (Athens), CEDEFOP (Thessaloniki), EU-OSHA (Bilbao) covering a wide range of services from campaign analytics to editorial and copy-writing.
 
The team grew by nearly 80% by the end of 2021 and it was set to double by late 2022, reflecting the renewed communication mandate of SCOPE across the EU.
 

Research and Innovation Development

During the year 2021, the Research and Innovation Development (RID) department continued to focus on technologies that are aligned or go beyond the company focus, such as Big Data, extreme-scale analytics, explainable Artificial Intelligence, Cloud and Edge computing, Next Generation Internet of Things, Digital Twins and 5G applied in areas such as digital transformation for manufacturing, for governance, health, SMEs, and cities.
 

Below is an indicative list of projects:

  • In the field of digital manufacturing, Netcompany- Intrasoft has been exploring applicable technological advancements by offering and supporting software development utilising Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. Netcompany- Intrasoft coordinates the project STAR which aims to research, develop, validate and make available to the community leading-edge AI technologies including explainable AI, active learning systems, simulated reality systems, human-centric digital twins, advanced reinforcement learning techniques and cyber-defence mechanisms, thus becoming a catalyst for the deployment of advanced AI systems in the manufacturing shop floor. Netcompany-Intrasoft also participates in the project ODIN (Open-Digital-Industrial and Networking) creating pilot lines using modular components for scalable production with a focus on human robotics collaboration by providing the technical integration expertise. The project IMOCO 4.E, an Intelligent Motion Control under Industry 4.E, strives to perceive and understand complex machines and robots. The two main pillars of this project are digital twins and AI principles (machine/deep learning). Netcompany-Intrasoft participates in all the technical tasks such as the development of AI based methods for machine predictive maintenance, integration and testing.
  • In the domain of digital transformation governance, Netcompany-Intrasoft participates in the project AI4PublicPolicy (Automated, Transparent Citizen-Centric Public Policy Making based on Trusted Artificial Intelligence), as the system integrator of the AI4PublicPolicy platform and as an Explainable AI expert. It will contribute to the development of AI/Big Data analytics algorithms for extracting data-driven evidence-based policies.
  • In the area of digital transformation for health and hospitals, Netcompany-Intrasoft continues to seek new opportunities to develop more offerings by participating in the project HosmartAI which focuses on Hospital Smart development based on AI. Netcompany-Intrasoft acts as the project coordinator and the main technical partner by providing a distributed streaming platform for handling real-time data based on Apache Kafka. The REBECCA project - research on breast cancer, taps into the potential of Real-World Data to support clinical research and to improve existing clinical workflows. Netcompany-Intrasoft acts as the main technical partner of the cloud platform by providing the architecture, the CI/CD and the development of the dashboard for clinicians/ researchers.
  • Expanding its offerings in innovative education community platforms, Netcompany-Intrasoft participates in the ADMA TranS4MErs project by providing an all-connecting community platform offering advanced manufacturing assistance and training for SME Transformation, embracing the ecological, digital and societal challenges.
  • In the field of cybersecurity, Netcompany-Intrasoft coordinates the project ELECTRON with a focus on the Electrical Power and Energy System (EPES): an armour against cyber and privacy attacks and data breaches. It also provides technical services such as participating in the architecture design, being the main integrator and supporting cybersecurity tasks. Moreover, IRIS – an artificial Intelligence threat Reporting and Incident response System - aims to integrate and demonstrate a single platform addressed to CERTs/CSIRTs for assessing, detecting, responding to and sharing information regarding threats and vulnerabilities of IoT and AI-driven ICT systems. It was demonstrated in 3 smart cities.
  • Extending the portfolio of projects related to cutting-edge 5G core technologies, Netcompany-Intrasoft participates as a key technical partner in the project EVOLVED-5G that targets experimentation and validation openness for long-term evolution of vertical industries in 5G era and beyond.
  • Netcompany-Intrasoft participates in IRIS as the main platform integrator. It also provides DevSecOps practices and enhancing the company’s cybersecurity offerings. Extending the portfolio of projects related to cutting-edge 5G core technologies, Netcompany- Intrasoft participates as a key technical partner in the project EVOLVED-5G that targets experimentation and validation openness for long-term evolution of vertical industries in 5G era and beyond.
  • Netcompany-Intrasoft participates in the project FRONTIER that is related to the next generation traffic management for empowering CAVs integration, cross-stakeholders collaboration and proactive multi-modal network optimisation targets in the field of transport. Netcompany-Intrasoft participates as a key technical partner in the project MARVEL - Multimodal Extreme Scale Data Analytics for Smart Cities Environments - that aim to collect, analyse and data mine multi-modal audio-visual data streams of a smart city and help decision- makers improve the quality of life and services to the citizens without violating ethical and privacy limits in an AI responsible manner.
  • In the domain of security & safety, Netcompany- Intrasoft participates as the main platform integrator in the project NIGHTINGALE - a Novel integrated toolkit for enhanced pre-hospital life support and triage in challenging and large emergencies. Netcompany-Intrasoft also participates in the project ODYSSEUS - Preventing, countering, and investigating terrorist attacks through prognostic, detection and forensic mechanisms for explosive precursors. It is the platform integrator and is involved in the development of the frontend user interfaces and visual analytics. In the project SENTINEL - Bridging the security, privacy and data protection gap for smaller enterprises in Europe - Netcompany- Intrasoft participates as the platform integrator.
  • To explore the cloud computing continuum, Netcompany-Intrasoft participates as a key technical partner in the project SERRANO that aims to introduce a novel ecosystem of cloudbased technologies, spanning from specialised hardware resources up to software toolsets. SERRANO will demonstrate three high impact use cases related to (i) secure cloud and edge storage over a diversity of cloud resources, (ii) fintech by supporting latency-sensitive and safety-critical digital services in the financial sector and (iii) machine anomaly detection in manufacturing for Industry 4.0.
  • Under the umbrella of the European Green Deal and more specifically in building a climate resilient future, the SILVANUS project has been added to the RID portfolio, with a focus on developing an integrated technological and information platform for wildfire management. Netcompany-Intrasoft participates as the key technical partner of this platform by applying a range of data technologies.