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Together with the European Commission, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) has been consulting with GNSS user communities to take their input into consideration when defining EGNSS downstream funding priorities in the new financial perspective. A recent report from the GSA summarises the results of these consultations and outlines future R&I priorities.

EGNSS downstream R&I should build on the positive momentum achieved in Horizon 2020, Fundamental Elements and earlier framework programmes by leveraging space data to build applications, receivers that integrate the various EU space programme services and stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation in Europe. 

The GSA’s consultation with the GNSS user community during its User Consultation Platforms in 2017 and 2018 revealed that, to make the space sector competitive, R&I investment should be focused on the downstream domain, increasing the use of space signals and data, and leveraging the differentiators of the EU space programmes to improve the worldwide market share of EU industry and SMEs.

Read this: Horizon 2020 key to international cooperation for Galileo & EGNOS

After 2020, when the Galileo system is fully operational and the new version of EGNOS will start to be deployed, the primary goal will be to establish European GNSS as the leader in those markets and sectors that best exploit the unique differentiators of the systems. Steps should also be taken to complete market uptake in longer-term regulated market segments (e.g. rail, aviation and maritime). Also new funding tools should be introduced in order to cope with the new needs.

Key recommendations

The report makes a number of key recommendations, including on the need to secure the budget and scope related to EGNSS downstream in the Space Regulation and Horizon Europe. What’s more, to achieve the goals outlined above, the report recommends that the Horizon Europe budget be significantly increased compared to Horizon 2020. This increase will also allow for larger pilot projects and operational implementations of Galileo differentiators.

It is also recommended that the Fundamental Elements funding mechanism should fill the gaps in the development of EGNSS-enabled receivers and antennas and target the emerging Galileo differentiators as they become operational, so as to facilitate market readiness. 

Finally, the report recommends the introduction of new funding tools to cope with new needs that cannot be covered by the Horizon 2020 and Fundamental Elements tools as used until now: 

• Innovation Procurement for the public sector as a customer of Galileo;
• Centres of Excellence to leverage regional and national competences as examples and supporters for others;
• Space-based entrepreneurship to provide a dedicated funding tool for start-ups and SMEs (e.g. in the area of mass market);
• Venture Capital to scale-up our start-ups.

Next steps 

In April 2019 the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on key elements of the Horizon Europe proposal. According to this agreement, Horizon Europe will be structured in three Pillars: 1. Excellent Science; 2. Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness; and 3. Innovative Europe.

And this: Latest updates to Reports on User Needs and Requirements released

Early involvement and exchanges with Member States and consultation with stakeholders and the public at large took place during the summer of 2019, to stimulate a co-design process towards the first Strategic Plan for the framework programme. This included a workshop held at GSA headquarters in Prague.

This Strategic Planning process will prepare the Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe for 2021-2024. The plan will facilitate the implementation of Horizon Europe, focusing on Pillar II, by setting out key strategic orientations for support to research and innovation. Drafting of the first Horizon Europe Work Programme on the basis of the Strategic Plan will take place during 2020, after which Horizon Europe will come into effect in 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Together with the European Commission, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) has been consulting with GNSS user communities to take their input into consideration when defining EGNSS downstream funding priorities in the new financial perspective. A recent report from the GSA summarises the results of these consultations and outlines future R&I priorities.

EGNSS downstream R&I should build on the positive momentum achieved in Horizon 2020, Fundamental Elements and earlier framework programmes by leveraging space data to build applications, receivers that integrate the various EU space programme services and stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation in Europe. 

The GSA’s consultation with the GNSS user community during its User Consultation Platforms in 2017 and 2018 revealed that, to make the space sector competitive, R&I investment should be focused on the downstream domain, increasing the use of space signals and data, and leveraging the differentiators of the EU space programmes to improve the worldwide market share of EU industry and SMEs.

Read this: Horizon 2020 key to international cooperation for Galileo & EGNOS

After 2020, when the Galileo system is fully operational and the new version of EGNOS will start to be deployed, the primary goal will be to establish European GNSS as the leader in those markets and sectors that best exploit the unique differentiators of the systems. Steps should also be taken to complete market uptake in longer-term regulated market segments (e.g. rail, aviation and maritime). Also new funding tools should be introduced in order to cope with the new needs.

Key recommendations

The report makes a number of key recommendations, including on the need to secure the budget and scope related to EGNSS downstream in the Space Regulation and Horizon Europe. What’s more, to achieve the goals outlined above, the report recommends that the Horizon Europe budget be significantly increased compared to Horizon 2020. This increase will also allow for larger pilot projects and operational implementations of Galileo differentiators.

It is also recommended that the Fundamental Elements funding mechanism should fill the gaps in the development of EGNSS-enabled receivers and antennas and target the emerging Galileo differentiators as they become operational, so as to facilitate market readiness. 

Finally, the report recommends the introduction of new funding tools to cope with new needs that cannot be covered by the Horizon 2020 and Fundamental Elements tools as used until now: 

• Innovation Procurement for the public sector as a customer of Galileo;
• Centres of Excellence to leverage regional and national competences as examples and supporters for others;
• Space-based entrepreneurship to provide a dedicated funding tool for start-ups and SMEs (e.g. in the area of mass market);
• Venture Capital to scale-up our start-ups.

Next steps 

In April 2019 the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on key elements of the Horizon Europe proposal. According to this agreement, Horizon Europe will be structured in three Pillars: 1. Excellent Science; 2. Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness; and 3. Innovative Europe.

And this: Latest updates to Reports on User Needs and Requirements released

Early involvement and exchanges with Member States and consultation with stakeholders and the public at large took place during the summer of 2019, to stimulate a co-design process towards the first Strategic Plan for the framework programme. This included a workshop held at GSA headquarters in Prague.

This Strategic Planning process will prepare the Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe for 2021-2024. The plan will facilitate the implementation of Horizon Europe, focusing on Pillar II, by setting out key strategic orientations for support to research and innovation. Drafting of the first Horizon Europe Work Programme on the basis of the Strategic Plan will take place during 2020, after which Horizon Europe will come into effect in 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry. In this way, it addresses a pressing challenge in an industry that is set to see the world’s aircraft fleet more than double in the next 20 years.

Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge

In addition to the overall prize, 26 more prizes were awarded at this year’s Galileo Masters, including the Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge. This award went to Xylene, an app that revolutionises the way timber is supplied to the market. The concept behind the Xylene app is to document every step of the timber supply chain, from the forest to the final product. This unique Source-2-Store process not only enables supply chain tracking, but also validates the origin of the wood as certified or not. 

Read this: uMaze takes Accuracy Matters prize in Galileo Innovation Challenge

By automatically registering GNSS position and consignment volume data, matching this with the individual process steps and generating real-time reports in the event of violations, the app prevents illegal wood from entering the supply chain and reduces fraud. The end customer, in addition to each partner along the supply chain, can visualise the entire supply chain using QR codes. Leveraging Galileo positioning and Copernicus imagery, the app offers the best combination of reliability, feasibility and cost.

Promoting innovation

“Promoting innovation has always been a key goal for the GSA. During our 11 years of partnership with the Galileo Masters, the competition has been an important generator of new market-driven applications and services based on Galileo’s differentiators, and this year has been no different,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “I would like to congratulate all of the participants in this year’s competition and particularly the winners for their innovative use of Galileo,” he said.

Idea of the year

In the ‘Idea of the Year’ category, the winner was CX-GEODRON – a radar-based drone payload for underground detection. The CX-Geodron project is developing a drone payload based on radar equipment and post-processing techniques for geo-referenced data to complement, and sometimes replace, LiDAR laser technologies and take the next step in underground detection applications.

And this: First Galileo-enabled autonomous vehicle successfully demonstrated

The use of drones in non-destructive inspection applications has proven feasible and effective, making this a field with very important growth potential. The accuracy, stability, and flight time of drone platforms have significantly improved and the feasibility of using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems in different applications related to terrestrial observation has been demonstrated. What’s more, the detection of buried objects is also continuing to improve with regard to resolution and depth. 

Start-up of the Year

The winner in the ‘Start-up of the Year’ category - PODIS (POst DIstress Signal) - is a client-server IoT solution-as-a-service for automatic crash notification (ACN). The solution’s unique selling point is its patented underlying methodology for filtering out false alarms. Other ACN systems try to filter out false alarms on the client side, which is difficult due to varying vehicle behaviour, while PODIS does this on the server side. 

In this way, PODIS maximises the use of the “golden hour”. This is a trauma term that refers to the first hour from the moment a car accident occurs. The goal of trauma professionals is to get injured people to a hospital within one hour to increase their chances of survival.

The Galileo Masters annually awards the best services, products, and business ideas using satellite navigation in everyday life, fostering the development of market-driven applications and identifying the most outstanding business cases related to GNSS, in line with the EU Space Strategy.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry. In this way, it addresses a pressing challenge in an industry that is set to see the world’s aircraft fleet more than double in the next 20 years.

Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge

In addition to the overall prize, 26 more prizes were awarded at this year’s Galileo Masters, including the Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge. This award went to Xylene, an app that revolutionises the way timber is supplied to the market. The concept behind the Xylene app is to document every step of the timber supply chain, from the forest to the final product. This unique Source-2-Store process not only enables supply chain tracking, but also validates the origin of the wood as certified or not. 

Read this: uMaze takes Accuracy Matters prize in Galileo Innovation Challenge

By automatically registering GNSS position and consignment volume data, matching this with the individual process steps and generating real-time reports in the event of violations, the app prevents illegal wood from entering the supply chain and reduces fraud. The end customer, in addition to each partner along the supply chain, can visualise the entire supply chain using QR codes. Leveraging Galileo positioning and Copernicus imagery, the app offers the best combination of reliability, feasibility and cost.

Promoting innovation

“Promoting innovation has always been a key goal for the GSA. During our 11 years of partnership with the Galileo Masters, the competition has been an important generator of new market-driven applications and services based on Galileo’s differentiators, and this year has been no different,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “I would like to congratulate all of the participants in this year’s competition and particularly the winners for their innovative use of Galileo,” he said.

Idea of the year

In the ‘Idea of the Year’ category, the winner was CX-GEODRON – a radar-based drone payload for underground detection. The CX-Geodron project is developing a drone payload based on radar equipment and post-processing techniques for geo-referenced data to complement, and sometimes replace, LiDAR laser technologies and take the next step in underground detection applications.

And this: First Galileo-enabled autonomous vehicle successfully demonstrated

The use of drones in non-destructive inspection applications has proven feasible and effective, making this a field with very important growth potential. The accuracy, stability, and flight time of drone platforms have significantly improved and the feasibility of using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems in different applications related to terrestrial observation has been demonstrated. What’s more, the detection of buried objects is also continuing to improve with regard to resolution and depth. 

Start-up of the Year

The winner in the ‘Start-up of the Year’ category - PODIS (POst DIstress Signal) - is a client-server IoT solution-as-a-service for automatic crash notification (ACN). The solution’s unique selling point is its patented underlying methodology for filtering out false alarms. Other ACN systems try to filter out false alarms on the client side, which is difficult due to varying vehicle behaviour, while PODIS does this on the server side. 

In this way, PODIS maximises the use of the “golden hour”. This is a trauma term that refers to the first hour from the moment a car accident occurs. The goal of trauma professionals is to get injured people to a hospital within one hour to increase their chances of survival.

The Galileo Masters annually awards the best services, products, and business ideas using satellite navigation in everyday life, fostering the development of market-driven applications and identifying the most outstanding business cases related to GNSS, in line with the EU Space Strategy.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Performance Cockpit, a business intelligence system from the start-up Aeroficial Intelligence, was named the 2019 Overall Winner of the Galileo Masters international innovation competition during its awards ceremony, held as part of European Space Week on 4 December in Helsinki, Finland. 

The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry. In this way, it addresses a pressing challenge in an industry that is set to see the world’s aircraft fleet more than double in the next 20 years.

Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge

In addition to the overall prize, 26 more prizes were awarded at this year’s Galileo Masters, including the Galileo-Copernicus Synergy Challenge. This award went to Xylene, an app that revolutionises the way timber is supplied to the market. The concept behind the Xylene app is to document every step of the timber supply chain, from the forest to the final product. This unique Source-2-Store process not only enables supply chain tracking, but also validates the origin of the wood as certified or not. 

Read this: uMaze takes Accuracy Matters prize in Galileo Innovation Challenge

By automatically registering GNSS position and consignment volume data, matching this with the individual process steps and generating real-time reports in the event of violations, the app prevents illegal wood from entering the supply chain and reduces fraud. The end customer, in addition to each partner along the supply chain, can visualise the entire supply chain using QR codes. Leveraging Galileo positioning and Copernicus imagery, the app offers the best combination of reliability, feasibility and cost.

Promoting innovation

“Promoting innovation has always been a key goal for the GSA. During our 11 years of partnership with the Galileo Masters, the competition has been an important generator of new market-driven applications and services based on Galileo’s differentiators, and this year has been no different,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “I would like to congratulate all of the participants in this year’s competition and particularly the winners for their innovative use of Galileo,” he said.

Idea of the year

In the ‘Idea of the Year’ category, the winner was CX-GEODRON – a radar-based drone payload for underground detection. The CX-Geodron project is developing a drone payload based on radar equipment and post-processing techniques for geo-referenced data to complement, and sometimes replace, LiDAR laser technologies and take the next step in underground detection applications.

And this: First Galileo-enabled autonomous vehicle successfully demonstrated

The use of drones in non-destructive inspection applications has proven feasible and effective, making this a field with very important growth potential. The accuracy, stability, and flight time of drone platforms have significantly improved and the feasibility of using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems in different applications related to terrestrial observation has been demonstrated. What’s more, the detection of buried objects is also continuing to improve with regard to resolution and depth. 

Start-up of the Year

The winner in the ‘Start-up of the Year’ category - PODIS (POst DIstress Signal) - is a client-server IoT solution-as-a-service for automatic crash notification (ACN). The solution’s unique selling point is its patented underlying methodology for filtering out false alarms. Other ACN systems try to filter out false alarms on the client side, which is difficult due to varying vehicle behaviour, while PODIS does this on the server side. 

In this way, PODIS maximises the use of the “golden hour”. This is a trauma term that refers to the first hour from the moment a car accident occurs. The goal of trauma professionals is to get injured people to a hospital within one hour to increase their chances of survival.

The Galileo Masters annually awards the best services, products, and business ideas using satellite navigation in everyday life, fostering the development of market-driven applications and identifying the most outstanding business cases related to GNSS, in line with the EU Space Strategy.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Union’s ambitions in space were in focus during a recent visit to the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Prague headquarters by French State Secretary for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin, who visited the Agency on Friday 29 November.

Madame de de Montchalin was in Prague to visit the GSA and, during her visit, she noted that: “European ambition in space is considerable, as we saw on 28 November in Seville, and the GSA is transforming this ambition into concrete projects that are improving the life of European citizens.”

The EU is a global leader in space and the space sector in Europe employs over 231,000 professionals, with an estimated value of €53-62 billion to the European economy in 2017. What’s more, Europe manufactures one third of all the world's satellites and, according to Eurospace, the space manufacturing industry posted sales worth €8.5 billion in 2018.

Read this: Horizon 2020 key to international cooperation for Galileo & EGNOS

French Space Agency (CNES) President and GSA Administrative Board Chair Jean-Yves Le Gall following his attendance at the European Space Agency ministerial meeting in Seville, Spain on November 27-28 welcomed Madame de Montchalin to the GSA headquarters. “We are very pleased to welcome Madame de Montchalin to the GSA, her visit bears testimony to the importance that France places on ensuring that space serves all Europeans,” he said.

Key contribution

At the meeting, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides highlighted the central role of Europe’s GNSS programmes in the overall contribution of space to the European economy. “According to the latest edition of our GNSS Market Report, European companies account for an estimated 27% of the global GNSS downstream market, which is forecast to increase to EUR 325 billion in 2029,” he said.

“France has been a valued partner for the Galileo programme since the launch of the first operational satellite from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana in 2011, and the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) for our Galileo launches is controlled from the CNES Space Centre in Toulouse,” des Dorides said.

‘When the GSA is taking on new its responsibilities in becoming EUSPA at the beginning of 2021 and with Galileo reaching full capability, it is important that all the Member States continue to support our activities, and so we are pleased to take the opportunity of the visit of Mrs Montchalin to explain the evolution of the Galileo services,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Union’s ambitions in space were in focus during a recent visit to the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Prague headquarters by French State Secretary for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin, who visited the Agency on Friday 29 November.

Madame de de Montchalin was in Prague to visit the GSA and, during her visit, she noted that: “European ambition in space is considerable, as we saw on 28 November in Seville, and the GSA is transforming this ambition into concrete projects that are improving the life of European citizens.”

The EU is a global leader in space and the space sector in Europe employs over 231,000 professionals, with an estimated value of €53-62 billion to the European economy in 2017. What’s more, Europe manufactures one third of all the world's satellites and, according to Eurospace, the space manufacturing industry posted sales worth €8.5 billion in 2018.

Read this: Horizon 2020 key to international cooperation for Galileo & EGNOS

French Space Agency (CNES) President and GSA Administrative Board Chair Jean-Yves Le Gall following his attendance at the European Space Agency ministerial meeting in Seville, Spain on November 27-28 welcomed Madame de Montchalin to the GSA headquarters. “We are very pleased to welcome Madame de Montchalin to the GSA, her visit bears testimony to the importance that France places on ensuring that space serves all Europeans,” he said.

Key contribution

At the meeting, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides highlighted the central role of Europe’s GNSS programmes in the overall contribution of space to the European economy. “According to the latest edition of our GNSS Market Report, European companies account for an estimated 27% of the global GNSS downstream market, which is forecast to increase to EUR 325 billion in 2029,” he said.

“France has been a valued partner for the Galileo programme since the launch of the first operational satellite from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana in 2011, and the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) for our Galileo launches is controlled from the CNES Space Centre in Toulouse,” des Dorides said.

‘When the GSA is to taking on new its responsibilities in becoming EUSPA at the beginning of 2021 and with Galileo reaching full capability, this is important that all the Member States continue to support our activities and so we are pleased to take the opportunity of the visit of Mrs Montchalin to explain the evolution of the Galileo services,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Union’s ambitions in space were in focus during a recent visit to the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Prague headquarters by French State Secretary for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin, who visited the Agency on Friday 29 November.

Madame de de Montchalin was in Prague to visit the GSA and, during her visit, she noted that: “European ambition in space is considerable, as we saw on 28 November in Seville, and the GSA is transforming this ambition into concrete projects that are improving the life of European citizens.”

The EU is a global leader in space and the space sector in Europe employs over 231,000 professionals, with an estimated value of €53-62 billion to the European economy in 2017. What’s more, Europe manufactures one third of all the world's satellites and, according to Eurospace, the space manufacturing industry posted sales worth €8.5 billion in 2018.

Read this: Horizon 2020 key to international cooperation for Galileo & EGNOS

French Space Agency (CNES) President and GSA Administrative Board Chair Jean-Yves Le Gall following his attendance at the European Space Agency ministerial meeting in Seville, Spain on November 27-28 welcomed Madame de Montchalin to the GSA headquarters. “We are very pleased to welcome Madame de Montchalin to the GSA, her visit bears testimony to the importance that France places on ensuring that space serves all Europeans,” he said.

Key contribution

At the meeting, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides highlighted the central role of Europe’s GNSS programmes in the overall contribution of space to the European economy. “According to the latest edition of our GNSS Market Report, European companies account for an estimated 27% of the global GNSS downstream market, which is forecast to increase to EUR 325 billion in 2029,” he said.

“France has been a valued partner for the Galileo programme since the launch of the first operational satellite from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana in 2011, and the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) for our Galileo launches is controlled from the CNES Space Centre in Toulouse,” des Dorides said.

‘With the GSA taking on new its responsibilities in becoming EUSPA at the beginning of 2021 and with Galileo reaching full capability, it is important that all the Member States continue to support our activities, and so we are pleased to take the opportunity of the visit of Mrs Montchalin to explain the evolution of the Galileo services,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).