The ICT sector in Germany has gone from strength to strength in recent years, triggering notable innovations. In the second half of the1990s, ICT investments accounted for 18% of the country's overall economic growth.
The EPSS allows users to propose projects by creating their proposal completely online without having to download or save anything locally on their own personal computer.
The German Government, which has allocated funding of 30 million to the project, hopes the initiative will raise the visibility of the centres involved and improve their chances of playing a key role in the establishment of a European high-performance computer network.
The award, which is now in its second year, was set up by the European Commission and the European Patent Office.