A three-year initiative dedicated to research, development, training and demonstration in the effective use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based on EPC (European Patent Convention) global standards has been launched in Brussels. The BRIDGE (Building RFID solutions for the Global Environment) project is being supported by the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development with €7.5 million funding.

The project brings together a consortium of 31 global organisations. Participants in the programme comprise universities in Europe and China, including three of the Auto-ID Labs, solutions providers, both large and small, together with large scale retailers, manufacturers and SMEs.

The focus will be on business-based research, provision of information services, and hardware (including sensors and tags) and software development. This will result in the development of comprehensive training materials in the use of RFID, increased pilots and deployment for a variety of business areas and sectors including anti-counterfeiting, through the development of new services in the EPCglobal network to reduce the level of piracy of goods, which is a serious problem in Europe; for the textile industry, better fulfilment of customers’ needs by increasing the flow and accuracy of information through a global supply chain; and in the retail environment by optimising processes in retail stores in order to increase service to the customer by using RFID on consumer sale units.

The project is an opportunity for Europe to build on a standardised RFID technology for use in global supply chains. It will contribute to the development of new solutions for businesses of all sizes and improve skills and expertise on RFID technology, which will help enhance the competitiveness of European companies, providing benefits to customers and citizens.