The SESAR Joint Undertaking has launched an open call for exploratory research and very-large scale demonstration projects within the framework of the SESAR 2020 research and innovation programme. The call covers a wide range of topics aimed at boosting the performance of aviation in Europe. A total of EUR 28million is earmarked for the research from the EU’s Horizon 2020 budget.
In the area of exploratory research, the aim is to award a project to establish a knowledge transfer network that will support the SJU by focussing on the assessment, transfer, communication and sharing of research results among the ATM community. The challenge is to support and encourage collaborative research on future and emerging innovative ideas, expertise and knowledge for the benefit of the future evolution of the European ATM system and its people.
The SJU also aims to award exploratory research projects that would help mature new concepts for ATM beyond those identified in the European ATM Master Plan (the main planning tool for ATM modernisation) or emerging technologies and methods. In doing so, the results of these projects would be fed into the SESAR 2020 industrial and demonstration activities.
In the area of very-large scale demonstrations, a series of projects will be awarded to demonstrate SESAR Solutions in close-to-operational environments. These will aim to confirm the benefits and increase awareness of promising solutions among a broader group of airspace users and other aviation end-users.
Recognising that aviation is a global industry and global interoperability together with harmonisation are key for its safe and sustained growth, a series of large-scale demonstration projects will be awarded in this call addressing trajectory-based operations and improved flight trajectories using system-wide information management in a global environment.
Finally, the call also addresses the interoperability of all airspace users and will select several demonstrations addressing solutions for general aviation and rotorcraft, as well as solutions on the safe integration of drones. This work is framed by the recent “Warsaw Declaration”, which acknowledged the need for urgent action on the airspace dimension, in particular the development of solutions for low-level operations (“U-Space”).
The deadline for this open call is 11 May 2017.