ICAReS
Innovation Cluster Accelerating Remote Sensing
Priority Axis
Technological and Social InnovationSpecific objective
Framework Conditions for Innovation
Lead partner
Gemeente WoensdrechtContact
Start Date
01/12/2016End Date
29/02/2020Project budget
3 223 553 €ERDF amount
1 934 132 €ERDF rate
60%About
Common challenge
The 2 Seas area has challenges regarding innovation and environment, like to strengthen innovation by more R&D and exploitation opportunities, climate adaptation, preservation biodiversity and natural resources. Agriculture, nature and water are 3 major sectors in the 2 Seas area. Just these sectors faces these challenges and need innovations to tackle. More use and development of RS and data processing will create solutions to face these challenges and will also improve efficiency of these sectors. Obstacles to use RS are: lack of knowledge/awareness of the possibilities of RS, RS-SMEs are not fully aware of the role they can play, a lack of suitable test/demo locations and unclear policy on legislation on the use of drones for RS. Challenges are: aggregation of sector demands, translation to RS-SMEs and knowledge institutes, sites for demonstrating (new) RS-applications, harmonisation of legislation/regulations and a structure (durable cluster) to work together on these issues.
Overall objective
Main outputs
Cross border approach
Main Achievements
After all partners had complied with the delivery of the necessary starting documents, the partners organized an opening conference in 2017. All partners collected contact information from a total of more than 6000 organizations in the 4 MS. After writing to these organizations, over 500 parties responded to want to participate in the training innovation cluster in the field of RS. In addition to the initial set-up of the cluster, a better understanding of the wishes and needs of the end users and other parties involved has emerged. The general conclusion From the surveys received, innovation can only arise in the field of RS if harmonization of laws and regulations between the various MS occurs. This legislation should make more possible for SMEs in the daily applications for end users.
In 2018, the partners organized and attended various conferences in the field of RS to mainly involve more end users. a mobile and central testsite was established. during the project it became clear that EASA is new was preparing uniform EU L&R for RS applications. The need combine forces was crucial for ICAReS to ensure that the project objectives were met. The EU regulations would be widely implemented ICAReS teamed up with UVSi. The international branch organization of drone operators. UVSi was the only indusbranch organization with which EASA spoke about the elaboration of the L&R. By concluding an MOU, the TFG was able to think along and talk to the UVSi and EASA about the needs of the SMEs and end users in the ICAReS Cluster. The establishment of DRONEREGIME by UVSi and ICAReS, 3000 organisations are involved in the elaboration and implementation of EASA legislation in all EU MS. DRONEREGIME has various working groups in which the parties work on standard scenarios and risk assessments that are necessary under the new legislation, but also to training requirements, test and demo sites and inspection requirements and certificates.
All this to ensure that regulations are uniformly implemented about the EU MS in 2021. In addition to all the regulatory work, the partners have elaborated various strategy plans. Demonstrations have been given and new innovations have been developed and tested. All work have led to the conclusion of an MOU in 2020 where the partners and participants in the cluster have agreed to continue the work within ICAReS and DRONEREGIM to ensure that the interests of the end users are optimally embedded in the new legislation.