EGNSS - Transition toward a green, smart and more secure post-pandemic society

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Stimulate the development, validation and use of commercial downstream solutions based on synergies between the different space programme components Galileo, including its differentiators (OSNMA Open Service Navigation Message Authentication, HAS High Accuracy Service, RLS Return Link Service, CAS Commercial Authentication Service etc.), EGNOS, Copernicus (if relevant), combined with connectivity/5G and SATCOM and cutting-edge digital technology to enable more efficient and resilient solutions for tomorrow’s society;
• Foster the development and validation of integrated synergistic space technologies that improve the quality of life in Europe, toward environmentally-friendly and energetically-efficient communities, in support of the EU mission on climate-neutral and smart cities^[1];
• Exploit the increasing digitalisation paradigm and the adaptation of business processes in the post-pandemic environment to create new space-based commercial opportunities improving the prospects of businesses and the life of citizens.

The COVID-19 crisis highlighted the importance of digital technologies and infrastructures as vital societal assets. European space technologies have demonstrated to be instrumental to a large number of activities. The scope of this action is the development of space-based synergistic technologies for green, smart and more secure solutions addressing a variety of social and economic challenges which emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

By leveraging EGNSS services including their differentiators (OSNMA, HAS, RLS, CAS etc.), proposals should develop applications and technologies that focus on commercial exploitation in one of the following priority areas:

• Development of downstream commercial applications, which foster the creation of cities built around its citizens, developed on efficient mobility solutions, environmentally-friendly and energetically-efficient. It may also cover the development of automated solutions for personal assistance, healthcare, support to the elderly, city dashboards, or applied robotics and/or applications that boost the green, safe and digital transition of the construction industry;
• Development of downstream solutions based on Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus (if relevant), combined with connectivity/5G and SATCOM and cutting-edge digital technology to enable more efficient and resilient solutions for tomorrow’s society. The solutions shall address the challenge of higher reliance on the capacity provided by the existing infrastructures (Energy, Telecom, Finance, Insurance etc.), the increased use of remote resources and remote work modality and the awareness of the associated cyber-threats. It may also cover applications for claims assessment (insurance), or timestamping of transactions (finance), as well as commodities trading and risk assessment. With a view to the energy, communication and banking applications, proposals could develop solutions for the certification of GNSS based timing equipment. With regard to the energy sector, particular emphasis could be put on ideas enabling an increased share of electricity from renewable sources (e.g. monitoring and forecasting of electricity generation from wind and solar power).

Proposals could, if applicable, integrate other data sources or services, in particular, where relevant, in combination with Copernicus.

Underpinning technologies may include metaverse and/or Digital Twins (DT) for cities, industries or Critical Infrastructures, tele-presence tools, wearables, AR/VR, secure interconnected IoT networks, sensor integration, technologies allowing seamless indoor-outdoor navigation, solutions for autonomous mobility, integrated secure fleet and objects (e.g. parcels, containers etc.) management systems, new cyber-security paradigms based on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) or Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) etc.

Applications may also consider, if applicable, the integration of future GOVSATCOM services into their commercial solutions and the use of data models for transforming the Galileo signal to a proper geodetic reference frame, allowing the exploitation of its differentiators e.g. the Galileo High Accuracy Service.

The Proposals should:

• Address innovative applications and technologies that focus on one or more of the priority areas defined above;
• Present a solid business plan, including the quantification of the market potential, value proposition and exploitation strategy. The elements of innovation and the challenge to overcome as well as address barriers/issues which might hinder their commercial exploitation; Preliminary define and be designed to satisfy user needs, possibly seeking the direct participation of users, customers and/or public authorities concerned in the proposed solution (e.g. infrastructure managers, actors in the finance and insurance domain, municipalities etc.).

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-9 by the end of the project – The reference TRL definition is the ISO 16290:2013 applicable to the space sector.

[1] EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities | European Commission (europa.eu).