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Finalists will be judged on April 18, 2007 at the NFC Developers Summit, held in Monaco during the WIMA event (www.wima.mc). Entry forms and competition details are available now from www.nfc-competition.com. The extended deadline for submitting a preliminary proposal in the future category is February 19; final submission deadline is March 12.

Based on a short-range wireless connectivity, NFC technology provides intuitive, simple and secure interaction between electronic devices. NFC communication is enabled simply by bringing two NFC-compatible devices within a few centimeters of one another, or by allowing the two devices literally to touch. NFC technology changes the way consumers interact with electronic devices and with their environment, enabling a truly mobile lifestyle with access to content and services.

The competition’s theme is "the simplicity of a touch," and selection of the 16 finalists will focus on the innovation, commercial potential and usability of the competition entrants’ proposed applications, as well as the quality of their design and implementation of NFC technology.

The competition is divided into two tracks, Track A for NFC services already implemented in Europe, either as full deployments or pilots; and Track B for proposals for future services. Teams of students are encouraged to enter their ideas. Submissions in Track A will be evaluated on demonstrated process and service improvements and cost savings; those in Track B will be judged on creativity, innovation, and business potential.

Proposals will be screened and finally evaluated by NFC-knowledgeable teams of academics, industrial professionals and venture capitalists. Questions about the competition may be sent to the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Touching the Future competition was founded by Nokia and is sponsored by the NFC Forum and the SmartTouch project. Additional sponsors include Innovision Research & Technology, NXP and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

About Innovision Research & Technology plc
Innovision R&T delivers innovative and market leading ICs for wireless connectivity solutions. Our primary focus is on short-range data communication from one device to another, passive and/or active, with a special emphasis on Near Field Communications (NFC) and RFID solutions. As a leading fabless custom RF IC design and systems provider we offer a complete engineering capability to our clients, including research engineering, custom IC design and production, and system design engineering. Products include Topaz ^TM, mandated by the NFC Forum as the NFC number one tag type format, Jewel ® for mass transit ticketing applications, and io®, the world’s smallest standards compatible Near-Field RFID reader. Visit www.innovision-group.com/topaz for more details.

About NXP Semiconductors
NXP is a top 10 semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company has 37,000 employees working in 26 countries across the world. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com.

About VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
VTT is a contract research organisation involved in many international assignments. With its more than 2700 employees, VTT provides a wide range of technology and applied research services for its clients, private companies, institutions and the public sector. VTT is striving to improve the well-being of society and to enhance the technical and economic performance of its clients. NFC technology, applications and business solutions are one of the key research areas of VTT. For more information, see www.vtt.fi.

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. For more information, see www.nokia.com.

About SmartTouch
SmartTouch is an ITEA/Eureka project that emphasizes NFC technology use in practical applications. The project consists of 21 partners from eight European countries: Alcatel-Lucent, Buscom, City of Oulu, Dan Company, ENSICAEN, Gemalto, Idesco, IDesia, Innovision Research and Technology, K.U. Leuven, MedicTouch, Nokia, Nordea, Philips CE, the Innovation Lab, Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, Robotiker, Telefónica Investigación y Desarrollo S.A. Unipersonal, TeliaSonera, Telvent Tráfico y Transporte, S.A., ToP Tunniste, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. For more information, see www.smarttouch.org.

About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's 100+ global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.

The NFC Forum's Sponsor members that hold seats on the Board of Directors include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: HP, MasterCard International, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, Texas Instruments and Visa International. For more information, see www.nfc-forum.org.