GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Cooperation with international partners, either public or private, is key to:

• Promoting the uptake of satellite navigation, position and timing, to enable non-EU countries to benefit from the advanced and unique features offered by EGNOS and Galileo, particularly in transport and regulated domains.
• Promoting the uptake of Copernicus globally, exploiting possibilities for integrating in-situ space data and information technologies.
• Building the Copernicus full, free and open data policy, considering that the European Commission seeks to facilitate access to Copernicus data and information for interested international partners. Administrative cooperation arrangements on Copernicus data access and Earth observation data exchange have already been signed with several countries; the United States, Australia, Canada, Ukraine, Chile, Colombia, Serbia, African Union, India and Brazil. Discussions towards similar cooperation have been started with other countries and regions (including United Nations Agencies and Asia-Pacific countries). Tasks may include joint calibration and validation activities or integration of local in-situ systems to enhance the quality of data and service products.

It is important to exploit the value-added of integration of EO data (both satellite, airborne and ground-based) with positioning ones and ICT (e.g. cloud computing) from international partner countries, through the development of applications and support to , their insertion into the market. Technology promotion activities can include incentive schemes in the form of financial support to third parties, that will promote the uptake of space downstream applications across Europe and globally.

For proposals under this topic:

• Proposals dealing with EGNSS are encouraged to involve the relevant players on the European side whenever relevant (e.g. European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), European Satellite Service Providers (ESSP) or Member States’ and associated countries’ Air Navigation Service Providers for EGNOS Safety of Life service to aviation, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), ERA for other transports). Participation of industry, in particular SMEs, is encouraged;
• When dealing with Copernicus-based applications, participation of at least one partner from a country that has signed a Copernicus Cooperation Arrangement is required. Proposals are encouraged to use the Copernicus Data and Information Access Services (DIAS, or other existing data access solutions, instead of setting up their own download and processing infrastructure. They are also encouraged to integrate third-party data (including in-situ data) and envisage data assimilation into models and products made available on the Copernicus platform of the Copernicus services. Participation of partners involved in international GEO initiatives is encouraged.