A route to internationalisation? Lefteris Mamais GEO-CRADLE Technical Manager Internationalisation of European EO companies WS Brussels 22/11/2016
What do EU EO companies need to support their internationalisation strategies? Understanding the local market Institutional capacities: Awareness of EO benefits / Ability to acquire, receive, buy geospatial data-services-products / Gap identification Policy priorities: Existing or envisaged policies in critical sectors that can be supported by EO-derived information Procurement processes: Requirements for international participation / conditions for Foreign Direct Investment Data availability: Access to country-specific [open] geospatial data (in-situ or other) Building relationships with local stakeholders Mapping the local competitive landscape Engaging the end-user community Partnering with local companies (industrial cooperation)
How can H2020 help in that direction? Coordination and Support Actions Raising awareness on Copernicus and EO amongst users/decision makers Analysing capacity gaps / integrating existing capacities Establishing networking platforms / helping to build value chains Creating data sharing culture / training on open data policies and standards Overcoming cultural and linguistic issues / Building trust Research and Innovation Actions Opportunities for co-creation : Scientists, industry and users working together to mature an EO-based solution Strengthening infrastructure (e.g. Data Hubs, in-situ networks) Innovation Actions Selection of projects on the basis of technical excellence and solid business plan Resulting services/products entering the real market SME Instrument / Fast track to Innovation Helping start-ups, scale-ups and established companies to commercialise R&D
How does it work in practice? The example of GEO-CRADLE The GEO-CRADLE project has received funding from the European Union s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 690133.
GEO-CRADLE in a nutshell (GA: 690133) Main Objective: promote the uptake and exploitation of Earth Observation activities in North Africa, Middle East and the Balkans Duration: 30 months (started on 01/02/2016) Team: Coordinated by National Observatory of Athens 25 partners from 3 continents Specific Objectives Promote the uptake of EO services and data in response to regional needs Support the effective integration of existing EO Capacities in the region Facilitate the engagement of the complete ecosystem of EO stakeholders in the region Enhance the participation in and contribution to the implementation of GEOSS and Copernicus in North Africa, Middle East and the Balkans
How are these objectives translated into actions?
How are GEO-CRADLE activities supporting EU EO companies internationalisation? Regional Networking Platform User-friendly and comprehensive platform where regional stakeholders can be informed on existing capacities, complementary skills and collaboration opportunities Find partners and potential customers / upload your company s profile (will try to link it to EOpages). Join the network here. Regional Data Hub Access to region-related datasets, portals and services / centralised gateway for regional data providers to contribute easily and timely their products to GEOSS Gain access to local/regional datasets Regional and community oriented Workshops Already organised events in Athens, Novisad, Morocco, Cyprus with participation of industry, academia and end-user communities Join us at the Industry Engagement workshop (end of April 2017 Brussels) Regional Feasibility Studies Just launched 4 pilot studies on adaptation to climate change, access to raw materials, solar energy, improved food security Explore opportunities for joint post-project exploitation
How can H2020 further support internationalisation? Ideas for discussion Further support Innovation Actions excellent channel for the exploitation of Copernicus and other open data as an enabler of business plans that can support internationalisation Introduce calls targeted at market development/industrial cooperation on an international scale? [GSA has been following this approach for years] For RIA: Introduce the creation of spin-offs as expected impact? And then link with existing incubation schemes (e.g. Copernicus Accelerator)? Common Exploitation Booster introduce specific internationalisation perspectives?
H2020 links with other initiatives Ideas for discussion Downstreaming Copernicus synergies with EEE s tenders (e.g. CAMS Use Cases) and other instruments (e.g. IPA, ENI)? Use this process as a lever for the build-up of local value chains and showcasing companies capabilities Explore the establishment of a pilot Copernicus Relay in a non-eu country? [maybe Canada as ESA member or Pre-Accession country?] Further contact: Haris Kontoes (GEO-CRADLE project coordinator) kontoes@noa.gr Lefteris Mamais lefteris@evenflowconsulting.eu