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The European Commission adopted the proposal of regulation for the GMES programme on 20th May 2009.

The programme monitors the state of the environment on land, at sea and in the atmosphere to improve the security of the citizens in a world facing increased risks. This new investment from the EC brings GMES into an initial operational phase. It is the first concrete step towards the sustainability of the programme. Earth observation allows monitoring of the natural environment. It draws on both satellites and airborne, seaborne and ground-based installations. Data collected allows better management of the environment and enhances security for citizens.

In order to complement the running activities funded through framework programme, the European Commission has decided to invest EUR 150 millions more with the objective to make GMES operational by 2014.

Space applications like GMES are source of innovation.

In the current economic downturn, investment in innovation is crucial. OECD tells that the world market for Earth Observation, worth $735 millions in 2007, has the potential to rise to around $3 billions in 2017.

The Space Council of the 29th May “underlines the potential of space to develop enabling technologies and promote future economic growth in Europe. It considers including space applications among any further selection of new lead markets under the Commission’s Lead Market Initiative”. No doubt, GMES will encourage industry in particular SMEs to develop innovative information services.

The availability of environmental information is a key factor to understand the evolution of climate change so that we can observe our planet for a safer world.

See also: The full text of the communciation

Related Items:

-Contracts & grants (Calls for expressions of interest): GMES experts

-Contracts & grants (Prior information notices): Implementation of an initial GMES service for geospatial reference data access – Prior information notice (25/03/2009)

“Space Council” focused on a Ministerial discussion under the title “Space and Innovation”.

- Background Paper N° 1:Space, Competitiveness and Innovation: Space Activities and their Potential Contribution to Europe’s Global Competitiveness and Innovation Potential
st09851.en09.pdf

- Background Paper N° 2:The European Space Policy, its contribution to European Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth
st09887.en09.pdf

- Preparation paper + Agenda + discussion note on Space and Innovation

- Draft “Space Council” orientations

EU’s Maritime Policy Blue Book (COM 575 final)

EU’s Maritime Policy Blue Book (COM 575 final), welcomed by the European Council in December 2007, undertook to take steps towards a European Marine Observation and Data Network that would improve availability of high quality data. This document clarifies the current European marine data infrastructure and what those steps will be.

st08820.en09.pdf

Last version of the “Practical Guide to EU Funding Opportunities for Research and Innovation”.


(Mid April 2009)The goal of this guide is to help potential applicants for EU funding for research and innovation to find their way to relevant information on funding opportunities in order to identify the most suitable choices among the relevant EU programmes (FP7, Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and Structural funds).

practical-guide-rev2_en.pdf

Draft Agenda


International Information Day & Brokerage Event for the 3rd Call Space in FP7
Warsaw 15th ‐16th September 2009

Agenda
15th Sept. 2008:LOCATION TBD
18:30:WELCOME, N.N.INITIATIVE SPEECH, N.N.
INFORMAL GET‐TOGETHER / RECEPTION
16th Sept. 2008:HOTEL LORD, ALEJA KRAKOWSKA 218
8:45 ‐ 9:30:REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE.
MEET EACH OTHER AT ONE OF THE MEETING POINTS DEDICATED TO A CALL TOPIC
9:30 – 9:40:WELCOME BY HOST, N.N.
9:40 – 9:50:INTRODUCTION AND AGENDA OF THE DAY, N.N.
9:50 – 10:50:3RD SPACE CALL IN FP7, N.N.
10:50 – 11:20:COFFEE BREAK
11:20 – 11:40:HOW TO WRITE A COMPETITIVE PROPOSAL – FROM THE EVALUATOR’S VIEW, N.N.
11:40 – 12:10:INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION RUSSIA, N.N., TBC.
AFRICA & SOUTH AMERICA, N.N., TBC
12:10 ‐ 13:30:LUNCH BREAK
13:30 – 15:40:PARALLEL SESSIONS “GMES” AND “SPACE FOUNDATIONS”.
SESSION ON “GMES” , ROOM A
13:30 – 15:00:GMES CORE AND PILOT SERVICES.
MARINE: MYOCEAN, N.N.
CORE SERVICE EMERGENCY: SAFER, 
N.N.CORE SERVICE LAND: GEOLAND 2, N.N.
PILOT SERVICE ATMOSPHERE: MACC, N.N.
PILOT SERVICE SECURITY: G‐MOSAIC, N.N.
15:00 – 15:40:IDEA BOURSE: UP TO 8 PRESENTATIONS OF 5 MIN. 
EACH PARTICIPANTS PRESENT THEIR COMPETENCIES 
AND / OR IDEAS FOR PROJECTS SESSION ON “SPACE FOUNDATIONS” , ROOM B
13:30 – 14:30:ESA ACTIVITIES COMPLEMENTARY TO SPACE TECHNOLOGY, N.N. 
(ESA)SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, N.N. 
(ESA)EXPLORATION, N.N. (ESA
14:30 – 15:40:IDEA BOURSE: UP TO 12 PRESENTATIONS OF 5 MIN. 
EACH PARTICIPANTS PRESENT THEIR COMPETENCIES 
AND / OR IDEAS FOR PROJECTS
15:40 ‐ 17:00:JOINT BROKERAGE WITH COFFEE SERVED, ALL PARTICIPANTS
 

we need to ensure that our present socio-economic development does not compromise our future. Current EU policies are based on the renewed Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) pdf 191 Kb of June 2006, where research and development (R&D) plays an important and multifaceted role.

The Seventh Framework Programme has been set up to allow European research to live up to the R&D needs expressed in the EU renewed sustainable development strategy.

‘The Seventh Framework Programme reflects our joined up approach to sustainability’. Janez Potocnik, Commissioner responsible for Science and Research.

This web portal is the entry point to consolidated information on FP7’s contribution to sustainable development. When browsing through this website, you can find out about the multiple means through which FP7 contributes to sustainable development. Furthermore, you can explore links to national and regional initiatives on sustainable development research, learn about the sustainability potential of the European Research Area, and find out about relevant events

Sustainable development: a challenge for European research

The Conference Sustainable development: a challenge for European research organised by the Research DG took place on 26-28 May 2009, in Brussels. This high-level meeting, which attracted a large and multidisciplinary audience, aimed at highlighting ways and means for putting the European research system at the service of sustainable development. We invite you to visit the Conference website updated with participants’ presentations and reports – a useful communication tool available for the conference participants and all actors interested in progress on sustainable development in the research field.
Read more…

EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potočnik shares his views on the challenges raised in the Manifesto presented by the Scientific Committee at the opening of the conference. Read more in his blog …

Research on Sustainable Indicators Conference

The Research DG and Eurostat are organising a conference entitled Research on Sustainable Development Indicators: Taking stock of results and identification of research needs on 30 September in Luxemburg. The conference will reflect on the research carried out so far on Sustainable Development Indicators – mainly in FPs – and will also prompt the discussion on the remaining gaps. Read more…

Source EC-Europa

At the end of June, the Swedish Presidency of the EU, which drives the Union from 1st of July until 31st of December 2009, published its sixth month working programme. Climate, energy and environment, as well as the Baltic Sea region, are among the overarching themes of this programme.

Regarding climate change, the primary objective of the Swedish Presidency is that the EU continues to take responsibility for the climate threat and pursues its global efforts. Therefore the Swedish Presidency will seek the adoption of a new climate agreement during the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December

Moreover, according to the Swedish Presidency, the battle against climate change will give the EU an opportunity to strengthen its competitiveness and contribute to a better environment by developing cooperation between different policy areas through advanced policy instruments and increased innovative capacity

In parallel, on 10 June 2009, the European Commission proposed an EU strategy for regional cooperation in order to tackle common urgent environmental problems and to enhance the growth and development of the Baltic Sea states. One of the concrete actions proposed by the Commission is the development of integrated maritime governance structures and maritime and land-based spatial planning. The Swedish Presidency of the EU will seek to adopt this strategy

More information at:

SE

The 6 month work programme of the Swedish EU Presidency

Source GMES.Info]=47&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=2a9d1ed725

EU ministers agreed on the need for further development in the European space sector on Friday (29 May), saying greater research and commercial activity in the area would help lift Europe out of its current recession.

The agreement followed the convening of the sixth space council in Brussels, attended by representatives from the European space agency, the European commission and member states.

“Investment in space research is vital at a time of economic crisis,” said Czech education minister Miroslava Kopicova whose country holds the EU’s rotating six-month presidency until the end of this June.

“Some may consider this a luxury but we must bear in mind the benefits this can have in terms of improvements of quality of life as a whole. Ever euro invested in space policy will be multiplied many times over,” she said.

Part of the agreement centred on the need to push global monitoring for environment and security (GMES) from the research stage into the operational stage.

The technology has been developed to help monitor phenomena such as natural disasters or the mapping of international shipping lanes and harvest distributions.

While Europe’s GALILEO system provides satellite navigation services, GMES will supply information on the state and evolution of the environment once it is up and running.

The Earth observation system will use airborne satellites and a system of sensors on the ground and in the sea to record data.

European industry commissioner Gunter Verheugen presented ministers with a proposal on moving GMES into the operational stage. It must now be ratified by the council and the European parliament under the co-decision procedure.

“This proposal marks a turning point for GMES. It opens the door for the necessary operation of funding for the period between 2011-2013,” he said.

“With this proposal GMES is no longer an initiative with unclear boundaries, it is gradually becoming a programme with its own legal identity, an earth observation programme for the European union.”

Competitiveness

The discussions on space came at the tail-end of a two-day ministerial council on improving the competitiveness of European businesses.

On Thursday ministers adopted conclusions on better regulation, highlighting the need to improve the regulatory framework and increase its transparency.

Implementation of the small business act – launched in June last year – was also discussed, as was a European patent system and corresponding single court system to solve patent disputes.

Ministers agreed to wait for a decision by European court of justice on the legality of the single court system before revisiting the topic whose aim is to reduce patenting costs for European businesses.

Source

MORE INFO

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission providing independent scientific and technological support for EU policy-making, among other things in the area of satellite applications and remote sensing.

UNOSAT and JRC have cooperated for years on various topics including research, which is JRC primary area of involvement. The new agreement is a natural and positive development of such cooperation aiming at recognising the joint work done by UNOSAT and the JRC’s Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC).

Both JRC and UNOSAT have deployed substantial research in the area of post-crisis impact assessment (both natural disaster and conflicts). While UNOSAT has an operational role in supporting the UN system in post crisis situations and in early recovery, JRC is mandated to make contributions to the Community Instrument for Stability under the lead of DG External Relations, especially in relation with the Joint Declaration on post-crisis assessment and recovery planning signed in September 2008 between the European Commission, UNDP, and the World Bank. The declaration builds on the experience of these three actors in post-crisis situations and provides the conceptual framework for bringing together the experience and the methodologies elaborated by UNOSAT and the JRC.

The agreement, signed in March 2009, includes a technical annex ensuring synergy in a number of related areas which will benefit the work and outreach of both parties.

For more information click here

Source UNITAR

We are facing a huge economic crisis which consequences are without precedent. Investment in innovation is at this stage crucial especially in regard with the effects of climate change we will have to face.

GMES, Space Research and Development: pubblicato: Thu, 28 May 2009

At the same time, OECD tells that the world market for Earth Observation commercial date which was $ 735 millions in 2007 has the potential to raise to around $ 3 billions in 2017. The European Union is contributing to the development of this innovative sector. Therefore the European Commission agreed today on a proposal for a programme regulation for GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security)

GMES was an initiative mainly organized in its initial development phase thanks to research activities financed by EC (through Framework Programme 7) and ESA. This new financing of EUR 150 millions from the European Commission is bringing GMES into an initial operational phase. It is the first concrete step towards the sustainability of the programme.

It will ease the development of innovative services and make possible efficient accompanying measures for private sector and provide continuous data on the effects of a changing world. This availability of environmental information is the key factor to understand the evolution of climate change so that we can observe our planet for a safer world

Source

EC-EUROPA