For Horizon Europe, NESSI provides Thought Leadership by publishing short, focussed papers on specific topics.

For Horizon 2020 the NESSI ETP maintained a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), as described in this archive.

In 2017 NESSI published a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the remainder of H2020.

The domains covered by NESSI act as catalysers for the digital revolution that is deeply transforming Europe, and have huge impacts on the way people work, communicate, organize or entertain themselves. Capitalizing on previous documents produced by NESSI, this Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda sets the scene for the remainder of H2020 and proposes a systematic review of the technological challenges to be addressed to build digital systems that need to be distributed and ubiquitous, trusted and sustainable and exhibit new levels of intelligence. These challenges apply to the infrastructures, the software technologies, and to data and knowledge, and represent new opportunities for innovative services transforming all sectors and introducing new business models.

As software is now the sole key enabling technology transversal to all technical innovations, being embedded in solutions and services or providing smart tools for other domains, it should be promoted by Research and Innovation instruments that recognize its unique nature. Software is not only a ‘game changer’ in transforming and digitizing industry and society, it is also the friendly ‘ghost in the machine that cares’ for human needs. Targeting a true Software Continuum will require dedicated programmes, new cross-cutting initiatives, sectorial innovation and new cooperation with various domains from social sciences to education.

The NESSI Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2013 presented recommendations for achieving the ambitious goals set out in Horizon 2020. Recommendations were given with respect to research and innovation priorities for future activities launched in the context of Horizon 2020. Recommendations were also given with regard to the policies and instruments that should be applied for implementing and selecting projects. This SRIA provided Software and Services input to the first Horizon 2020 Work Programme. To read the full version please visit this link.