Knowledge Transfer Network

The support action is expected to result in:

• cross-fertilisation of knowledge from other disciplines that will encourage the exploration of innovative and unconventional ideas and research directions in ATM;
• the establishment and consolidation of a strong links between cutting-edge research, the operational challenges faced by industry and Europe’s policy agenda on transport, digitalisation and sustainability;
• the identification of ‘thematic challenges’ pinpointed by the wider research community and supported by mechanisms such as dedicated workshops and ‘catalyst funding’-focused projects, able to stimulate the movement of exploratory research results to higher levels of maturity and promoting cooperation between academia and the industry;
• the maintenance and continual updating of the knowledge hub (i.e. wiki) set up by the SESAR 2020 ER project Engage, representing a one-stop, go-to source for information and a single European point of entry for ATM knowledge;
• support for the execution of, and contributions to improving, the SESAR Digital Academy initiative, to increase professional/learning opportunities for up-and-coming researchers and the future aviation/ATM workforce, and to foster equal opportunities.

The knowledge transfer network will be responsible for at least the following activities.

• ATM concepts roadmap. The network will produce and maintain a long-term roadmap for innovative and interdisciplinary ATM concepts. This will entail monitoring, identifying and analysing new opportunities for innovative ATM research relevant to the evolution of the European ATM system.
• Take-up. The network will stimulate the transfer of exploratory research results to ATM applications-oriented research and onwards to industrial research.
• Wiki. Building on the one-stop knowledge hub (i.e. wiki) being developed by the current ER project Engage (with an estimated extended grant end date of 30 June 2022), the selected consortium will be in charge of maintaining and updating the wiki with at least the following content: 
  • a research repository for all research conducted within the framework of the SESAR R&I programmes (SESAR 1, SESAR 2020, Digital European Sky), clustered by themes, strands of research, operational improvements, project names, keywords, etc.
  • a mapping of European university programmes, featuring details of undergraduate programmes related to air transport engineering and aviation management, and postgraduate programmes that perform ATM-related research (regardless of the main research field).
• Catalyst funding. The network will be responsible for launching calls for catalyst research projects, managing the call text, the selection process, funding and promotion, and coordinating the participation of the funded projects in key SESAR Digital Academy events.
• SESAR Digital Academy initiative. The network will support the European ATM education and training required to develop new talent with a deep knowledge of future ATM scientific research needs, sustain a supply of bright young research talent in the long term and stimulate the next generation of ATM operational and engineering staff. To achieve this, the selected consortium will carry out at least the following activities. 
  • It will launch calls for PhD research projects, managing the call text, the selection process, funding and promotion, and coordinating the participation of the funded PhD students in key SESAR Digital Academy events. It will also be responsible for signposting other financial support opportunities for students pursuing PhDs and other postgraduate theses or dissertations on innovative research ideas.
  • It will facilitate placements and/or training opportunities, offering students a chance to develop new skills and gain valuable industry experience.
  • It will support the promotion of the SESAR Young Scientist Award campaigns, helping to ensure the visibility of the campaign and encouraging aviation students to submit applications.
  • It will support the SESAR 3 JU in the preparation and execution of webinars and other similar events (see also the following bullet point).
• Events, publications and website. The network will support the SESAR 3 JU in the preparation and execution of the SESAR Innovation Days, including calls for contributions, selecting papers and posters, promotion, defining the technical programme, chairing panels, identifying speakers including keynote speakers, etc. In addition, the network will organise workshops and symposiums, ATM research summer schools, and digital challenges / hackathons, and will produce newsletters and carry out other actions aimed at the dissemination and sharing of SESAR exploratory research and the network’s results, potentially including the publication of a European ATM periodic academic journal and/or a series of special issues in existing journals. It will also provide support to the SESAR 3 JU in the management of the SESAR web pages (including the SESAR Digital Academy web page), updating them and integrating the latest content.