FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

A summary of the VAE work-plan for 2015 is given below.

In 2015, the main new opportunity will be for larger-scale EO exploitation activities in support of International Development.

Larger scale EO exploitation activities in support of International Development initiatives

This opportunity consists of starting of the ‘mainstreaming’ the use of EO-based information for International Development projects and activities in partnership with the key stakeholders (International Financing Institutions and Environmental Conventions). ‘Mainstreaming’ is to be understood as the use of EO-based information as a systematic source of environmental information planned and provisioned in the financial resources and operational working practices for all phases of international development projects; i.e.: Identification, Preparation, Appraisal, Negotiation, and (most importantly) Implementation. The goal is to transfer EO services into a sustainable financing framework that will ensure a long-term business opportunity for European EO service providers.

An Overview of this opportunity is given here.

Specifically it is planned to start 3 new activities for a total of 7.5 M€. Each activity shall address a single thematic domain of : Water Resources Management, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Urban Development. Each activity will be of the order of 2.5 M€ in size and 3 years duration, and started during 2015 via open competitive tender.

This ITT was issued on 03 August 2015, and will close on 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am.

Full details can be found on the ESA Tendering system EMITS, under the AO number of 1-8346, or the reference number of 15.155.06.

Integrate new techniques/innovation into EO Services

An ITT is planned to support the EO service industry in addressing new developments and innovations in EO-based information services. This is an opportunity for companies, institutions and academia in the EO service sector to investigate and assess the impact of the latest developments that are occurring in the production and/or delivery and/or use of EO-based information services. The scope of the new developments to be addressed is open and to be defined by those working in the EO service sector itself, but will include improvements resulting from new satellite missions and data.

The ITT (available on EMITS as AO8373) closes on 06/11/2015.