The consortium’s ongoing efforts to disseminate its progress have been continued vigorously in 2023. Focus group work, transnational meetings and international events have taken place, as well as small-scale trainings, where knowledge transfer was the focus and the latest trends where discussed. Set to accomplish the mission of upgrading rural areas through the use of drone technologies, ICAERUS engages stakeholders in significant targeted actions within its vibrant ecosystem.
Focus Groups
In January, the project’s Coordinator, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), conducted Focus Group work regarding the Drone Spraying use case on their premises. The goal was for stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of drone technology. The Coordinator continued with Focus Group work in February, in Bologna, Italy, where the specifics of the project’s methods and technological equipment were discussed with researchers. The reason for the focus group in February in Bologna was to gather insights and opinions from European stakeholders on the learning requirements for the usage of drone technologies in rural and agricultural applications. This is part of the ICAERUS Academy, which aims to identify the learning needs of European stakeholders and develop a free, open-access online training course on the Open University (UK)’s online learning platform, OpenLearn.
Working Group
The project’s 2nd Working Group met on January 19 to review the results of the first year’s experimental testing on optimal drone spraying configurations. The Hellenic Crop Protection Association (HCPA) and a technical committee, comprising representatives from companies involved in pesticides or plant protection products, discussed the second year’s experimental plans. The committee also explored the possibility of extending experiments to other crops and testing more configurations.
Trainings and National Events
Moreover, partners HCPA and AUA held two trainings in Northern Greece, demonstrating alternative spraying methods using drones and focusing on the proper use of plant protection products. The training named “Calibration of Spraying Equipment and Integration of New Technologies” was addressed to Kir-Yianni’ Estate’s wine producers in the locations of Amydeo and Goumenissa. To conclude HCPA and AUA joint activities, the 8th Panhellenic Plant Protection Meeting was held with great success in Larissa, Greece in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food and a number of scientific and geotechnical bodies to discuss the “Plant protection in the context of the European Green Deal”.
International Events
ICAERUS partners also participated in multiple events of great scientific and entrepreneurial interest. AUA attended the EU-FarmBook Platform Day in Brussels, to discuss knowledge sharing between the EU-FarmBook and other Horizon Europe projects, the CAP Network and national networks. AUA also took the project to the 14th Dahlia Greidinger International Symposium, in Haifa, Israel and the European Robotics Forum (ERF) in Odense, Denmark. Foodscale Hub presented the project’s Open Calls at the Startup Village Networking Event, hosted by partner AgriFood Lithuania. Foodscale Hub also presented the Open Calls at the Transnational Conference: Territorial Cross-Border Cooperation in S.E. Europe, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
1st PUSH Open Call
The first ICAERUS PUSH Open Call has launched! If you are a drone manufacturer, AI or IoT company, research institute, start-up or SME exploiting (big) data, find all the necessary information here and apply through opencallhub.eu. Develop ideas, concepts and prototypes that can be introduced to the market through the project!
