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

To develop a cross border innovation cluster and create the necessary conditions for innovation in the field of remote sensing and advanced data communication & processing, based on needs of priority sectors nature, agriculture and water & infrastructure. A durable innovation cluster will lead to following benefits: cross border cooperation in these sectors to come to aggregation of demands, acceleration of creation of innovative remote sensing products & services, substantial use of remote sensing and improved business operation in these sectors, clarification of different national legislations and a joint lobby for better regulations to create business opportunities.

Main outputs

The main outputs will be:

• Establishment of a cross border innovation cluster on Remote Sensing (RS) applications with the sectors agriculture, water & infrastructure and nature management (end-users), knowledge Institutes, SMEs and branch organisations in the RS-sector and governmental organisations, including joint actions to create an EU remote sensing market.
• Creation of conditional instruments and services to facilitate this cluster (and others), such as: 2 well served demo/test sites, an Impulse Group Demand aggregation and a Task Force Group Legislation & Regulations.
• RS Innovation Roadmaps (strategies and action plans) for the participating and other sectors and for ongoing adjustments of legislation and regulations.
• Increased public awareness and support for the use of remote sensing/drones.

Cross border approach

Three priority sectors in 2 Seas region faces more or less similar challenges. Innovative RS and data processing systems can provide efficient and cost effective solutions for these sectors. In this project, cross border networks in these sectors will be strengthened and cross sectoral cooperation will be created to aggregate needs. Based on this, SMEs and knowledge institutes together will provide and demonstrate solutions. Because legislation and regulations are not clear and more over differs between MS (and in EU) branch organisation and governments/regulation authorities will be involved to take notice of needs and opportunities of sectors and SMEs and to clarify and take steps towards more harmonised regulations. Altogether, in the innovation cluster, participants will work on innovative solutions and development of conditional facilities, instruments and services. Also, strategies, action plans and business models will be developed for durability of this cluster and facilities.