A three-year initiative dedicated to research, development, training, and demonstrating effective use of RFID based on EPCglobal standards was recently launched in Brussels, Belgium. The Building Radio frequency IDentification solutions for the Global Environment (BRIDGE) project is supported by the European Union’s Sixth Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP6) with €7,5 million in funding. Participants in the program consist of universities in Europe and China, including three of the Auto-ID Labs, solutions providers, and large-scale retailers, manufacturers and SMEs.

The project will focus on business-based research, and provide information services, hardware (sensors, tags), and software development. This will lead to pilots, deployment, and comprehensive training materials in the use of RFID in a variety of business sectors.