An industry-led Forum for Innovation and Research in European Earth Observation: FIRE

Programme(s): H2020-EU.3.5.5. - Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems
Topic(s): SC5-16-2019 - Development of commercial activities and services through the use of GEOSS and Copernicus data
Call for proposal: H2020-SC5-2019-1
Funding Scheme: CSA - Coordination and support action

Grant agreement ID: 869634

Objective
As Europe’s Forum for Innovation and Research in Earth Observation, FIRE aims to build a strong community and a well-defined, recurrent process that will help to capture the “now” and to shape the “tomorrow” of the European EO sector. To achieve this overarching objective, FIRE will nurture the coordinated exchanges between innovators, policy-makers, technologists, businesspeople and researchers, towards designing a long-term Research and Innovation Strategy that will guide the development, delivery and uptake of EO services for the benefit of economy and society.

The practical steps to get there are reflected onto the 4 specific objectives:

O1: Build a community of research and innovation actors with the mission to keep a finger on the pulse of different market sectors that can benefit from EO-services enabled value.

O2: Foster the coordinated interaction between the identified EO and non-EO actors, through a series of events and on-line tools.

O3: Develop and implement a collaborative and integrated European research and innovation strategy that will guide the development, delivery and uptake of EO services.

O4: Maximise the impact of project activities through a well-defined and appropriate communications strategy and a robust sustainability plan.

These objectives are tackled through a Four Pillar approach of Collecting background information and relevant sector actors; Conversing with these actors and EO sector experts to identify EO target market pain points and developing a roadmap to ameliorate these pains through uptake of EO technologies; Collaborating with the broad existing network of GEO and Copernicus initiatives to maximise EU funding efficiencies; and Communicating the results of these discussions within the target market sectors and beyond through an exciting online mechanisms (incl. dedicated YouTube channel ) and a cross-sectoral EO-Evangelist promotional campaign.