Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announces the expansion of its cross-industry 5G research and development (R&D) program to a range of European markets.

The 5G for Europe program will bring together major industrial players, the public sector and leading universities across Europe to strengthen the continent’s competitiveness and maximize the benefits of the Networked Society.

Driven by Ericsson, 5G for Europe will focus on delivering research, innovation and industrial pilots that use next-generation 5G networks as an enabler.

The program will initiate cross-industry research collaborations focused on the integration of ICT in industry processes, products and services, and which leverage Europe’s position as the region with the world’s second largest R&D spend. The program will also create innovation projects that enable smaller companies to cooperate with a wide range of industry players, to interact with academia, and to secure early and affordable technology access.

5G for Europe will also deliver industry pilots of possible 5G solutions in areas including transport and automotive, the Internet of Things, energy and utilities, safety and security, public infrastructure and retail.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson, says:

 “5G is the next step in the evolution of mobile communication and will be a fundamental enabler of the Networked Society. However, Ericsson needs to work together with industries to understand their specific network requirements in order to realize the full benefits of 5G technologies.
“By expanding our 5G program to include major partners across Europe, we will gain valuable insights that will enable industries to digitalize effectively, to create new value and to strengthen the competitive position of European industry”.

The program’s academic and research partners include major technical universities such as Scuola Superiore Sant´Anna, Pisa, Italy, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, Spain, IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, Spain, and King’s College, London, United Kingdom.

Among the industry partners are leading enterprises such as wiseSense, Weiss Robotics and MyOmega System Technology in Germany and Zucchetti Centro Sistemi in Italy.

In March 2015, Ericsson launched the 5G for Sweden R&D program, together with partners in Swedish industry and academia. 5G for Europe broadens this initiative to seven countries and 10 institutions, with further partners to be included over time.

Around 60 percent of Ericsson’s global R&D spending is invested in Europe, and 15,000 of Ericsson’s 25,000 R&D employees work in Europe. Ericsson was the biggest patent filer within digital communication to the European Patent Office in 2013. The company led the continent’s build-out of mobile communications and mobile broadband, and has strong partnerships with all major European operators. Ericsson is also a contributor to the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and is currently engaged in almost 40 5G projects.