1 The ICAERUS project

This course is part of the ICAERUS (Innovation and Capacity building in Agricultural Environmental and Rural UAV Services) project [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , a 4-year project aiming to increase the business use of drones in agriculture, forestry and rural areas across Europe. In Video 1 you will meet Professor Spyros Fountas and Dr Katerina Kasimati who will introduce the vision and purpose of ICAERUS and discuss why drone applications are having a huge impact on many human activities.

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Transcript: Video 1

SPYROS FOUNTAS:

Hello, my name is Spyros Fountas and I'm professor on precision agriculture in Agricultural University of Athens. I'm the scientific coordinator of the ICAERUS project. And the idea of the project started, actually, from our group that we've been working with drones for the last 10 years in various aspects in agriculture and crop, and livestock. And through the Horizon Framework project, there was a call for how to exploit drones in agriculture. And then we form a very dynamic and challenging consortium and we were very happy to gain this project, and actually, now, implement it.

Actually, vision of this ICAERUS project is to utilise all different technologies for all the major domains in crop, livestock and rural environment, to be able to advance the role of drones in the European agrifood sector.

KATERINA KASIMATI:

My name is Katerina Kasimati and I'm an agricultural engineer at the Agricultural University of Athens. And for the ICAERUS project, I'm working as a project manager, working with a lot of people from 13 organisations, from eight different European countries. I'm happy to share some information about the ICAERUS project and the upcoming open call that is a very good opportunity for innovation and collaboration.

The ICAERUS project aims to foster the effective and efficient adoption of drone technologies across Europe. In order to achieve this, we're issuing a couple of open calls, namely the push and pull of an open call, offering financial support to the third parties. This fosters idea generation, data set collection and enhances the European network for drone technology adoption. The push open call focuses on innovation development.

And on the other hand, the tool open call, addresses challenges in farming, forestry and rural communities. For those interested, all necessary documents can be found on the official ICAERUS open call hub.

SPYROS FOUNTAS:

Why drones are a source of innovation in Europe? There are actually two major things. First of all, drones is a new domain, which is only started 10 years ago. So there are many innovative aspects to be studied and exploited. And as a second point, there are many areas that traditional machinery and systems cannot cope. And in this way, drones can play a role. And this role will be actually investigated within this project.

KATERINA KASIMATI:

I would like to highlight why developing new business ideas from drones is a game changer. First of all, drones redefine how industries operate, we're optimising processes, and of course, making these processes more efficient and effective. We streamline operations and cut costs by optimising, for example, agricultural practices, even to enhancing logistics. Sustainability is another important aspect, as drones enable precision farming, reducing environmental impact.

And also, in terms of societal impact, they can be instrumental in emergency response and public safety. Developing new business ideas from drones is very important. It's not just a piece of technology, but it's a tool for transport. It's a tool with a transformative force. It's about efficiency, sustainability, and of course, for the markets to thrive and contribute positively to society and environment.

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You can visit the ICAERUS website to explore the project objectives and challenges in more detail. To avoid losing your place in the course, if you are studying on a desktop you should open the link in a new tab or window by holding down Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) when you click on it. If you are studying on a mobile device hold down the link and select to ‘Open in New Tab’. Return here when you have finished.

Figure 2 shows the stakeholders of the ICAERUS project. The project aims to benefit agricultural communities and a range of stakeholders ranging from private sector to public bodies developing policies and offering funding for innovation. There are four areas of activities in the project: research; develop and demonstrate; education and train; and scale up. Content that is being produced through the ICAERUS project is shown at the top of Figure 2, which includes this course that is part of the ICAERUS Academy.

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Figure 2 The different stakeholders in the ICAERUS project

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The diagram represents a drone flying from a take-off area. Around the take-off area, ICAERUS stakeholders are represented: Agri-rural communities, Researchers, Public Authorities, General Public, Private Sector. The ICAERUS use-cases are also represented on a circle: livestock monitoring, rural logistics, forestry and biodiversity, drone spraying, crop monitoring.

The ICAERUS Platform is represented by the hovering drone with the following arms: the Drone Market Landscape analysis, the Drone Data Analytics Library, the ICAERUS Use Cases and Open Call Trials, the Socio-economic and Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) Results, the Business and Governance Models, and the ICAERUS Academy.

An arrow points to the ICAERUS platform from the take-off area and alongside is a numbered list rising up from 1 to 4:

1. Research
2. Develop & demonstrate
3. Education & train
4. Scale up

Figure 2 The different stakeholders in the ICAERUS project

In this course you will review the different technologies developed in the ICAERUS project and develop your knowledge of the drone industry. You will also have the chance to develop the skills that will allow you to identify a business idea and map the stakeholders that could help transform your idea into a reality.

The project is funded by the EU under the Horizon Europe scheme and UK under Innovate UK. Figure 3 shows the project logo and the EU and UK Funders logo and grant agreement numbers.

Figure 3 The ICAERUS project logo and grant agreement numbers with the related funders

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ICAERUS logo. Funded by the European Union. Grant agreement No 101060643

Figure 3 The ICAERUS project logo and grant agreement numbers with the related funders