GSA European GNSS Agency : and Commissioner Moedas Talk GNSS Innovation

European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides and European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas met in Brussels to discuss the potential of GNSS technology and the role that Galileo will play as an innovation enabler for economic growth.

When GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides and European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas met to discuss the potential of GNSS technology, the conversation quickly turned to Galileo. With Initial Services set to launch this year, the two emphasised how Galileo will play an important role as an innovation enabler and, as such, a driver of economic growth.

The conversation included an overview of the many successes already achieved by EGNOS, which the Commissioner said represents a good success story for Europe. In particular, the GSA focused on how it plans to leverage its experience with overseeing the EGNOS service provision and the development of the downstream market as it takes on a similar role with Galileo.

Naturally, the conversation also included an in-depth discussion on R&D and related funding. Here the GSA highlighted the Horizon 2020 and Fundamental Elements funding schemes. According to des Dorides, the two programmes are complimentary and support innovation at different levels of the value chain.

For example, Fundamental Elements supports the overall strategy of market uptake by providing funding for the development of chipset and receivers. On this point, des Dorides and Moedas agreed that Galileo Initial Services was key to triggering investments by chipset and receiver manufacturers and, in general, for growing public awareness of the programme.

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Horizon 2020, on the other hand, looks towards the downstream market. The programme has already awarded nearly EUR 25M in funding to 13 projects covering transport, surveying, location-based services, agriculture and emergency services, among others.

GNSS Innovation Catalyst

However, des Dorides stressed that if Europe intends to maintain its position as a global leader in space technology, more needs to be done to foster E-GNSS innovation. In this sense, he sees the GSA as being well-positioned to act as the catalyst at the centre of the EU's GNSS innovation network, working across and with EU institutions, market segments and Member States. In fact, the GSA is already doing this with its Funding Guide, which monitors the available funding mechanisms for GNSS applications .

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Yet des Dorides pointed out that this is just one solution. 'We must also encourage venture capital,' said des Dorides. 'With Galileo launching initial services this year, we have the public infrastructure, but now we need the applications and services that capitalise on this infrastructure. This is where venture capital could be a solution.'

Fast Track Forward

Other concepts discussed included the use of incubators, centres of excellence and Fast Track to Innovation programmes. As to the latter, des Dorides noted that an ongoing challenge for EU funded projects is that they tend to take between three and four years to reach market. On the other hand, innovation happening elsewhere in the world moves much faster, leaving European-supported projects at risk of already being obsolete by the time they reach market.

A solution to this, which already exists as a pilot programme within Horizon 2020, is adopting a Fast Track to Innovation approach. The pilot programme supports innovative projects from the demonstration stage to market uptake, including such stages as piloting, test-beds, systems validation in real-world conditions, validation of business models, pre-normative research, and standard-setting.

Partners in Innovation

Overall, the des Dorides and Commissioner Moedas agreed to continue to work together to strengthen European support for GNSS R&D and innovation. 'R&D and innovation are an essential element of Galileo's success and I welcome an increased exchange and partnership with DG RTD,' said des Dorides. The two plan to continue the conversation in the near future at GSA headquarters in Prague.

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