CHIST-ERA is a network of research funding organisations in Europe and beyond with programmes in ICST (Information and Communication Science and Technology), at the intersection of the FET and the ICT domains. CHIST-ERA III aims at supporting transnational research projects addressing long-term scientific challenges in the domain of ICT or at the interface between this and other domains. It also fosters the maturation of the corresponding research topics and the structuration of the corresponding communities. Another goal is to encourage Open Science best practices. In the framework of CHIST-ERA III, two joint transnational calls are planned (CHIST-ERA Calls 2017 and 2018), each covering two topics. The two topics for Call 2017 are "Object recognition and manipulation by robots: data sharing and experiment reproducibility" and "Industrial big data and process modelling for smart factories". The two topics for Call 2018 will be decided toward the end of 2017.