UDENE Tools Integration in Geodata Science Education

Description

At least 2 person-months of work that would be committed during the October-November 2025 timeframe, delivering the final report by 15th December, the latest. The output of this work will be an educational that describes the implementation of a vocational geodata science skills development course enabled by the Copernicus system as used in UDENE tools. If the subgrantees introduce new data sets to be used in the course assignment that involve UDENE, then they will need to report the data, its use, behaviour of the tools, and learning outcomes. A complete feasibility report is expected to meet Erasmus Quality Standards for educational programmes, and it includes: 1. Learning Outcomes in terms of acquired skills and competencies in geodata science. 2. A curriculum of lesson plans that is equivalent to 3 ECTS credits (75-90 hours of study). This curriculum must emphasize the application of EO data, Copernicus products, and specifically incorporate the UDENE tools into teaching methodologies. 3. A list of competency development assignments and corresponding performance assessments that involve practicing with UDENE tools. The assignments are expected to consume at least half of the study time. 4. At least 3 Demonstrative Case Studies that the course material would align with, covering preferably urban development challenges that could be addressed by Copernicus EO solutions. They should be clearly structured, showing the process from problem identification, data integration, analysis, and ultimately proposing solutions or interventions supported by empirical evidence derived using the UDENE tools.

Beneficiary & submission

UDENE Project is a Research and Innovation Action funded by EUSPA under the Horizon Europe Programme. It leverages Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data to discover occurrences (natural experiments) of urban development interventions intended for an Area of Interest (AoI) elsewhere in the world, which are similar to the AoI in terms of causally related properties to the intended outcome of the intervention. Existing use cases target the effect of green spaces on urban heat islands, the effect of transportation infrastructure on air quality, and the effect of the built environment on earthquake resilience. By integrating EO data, machine learning, and advanced causal modelling, UDENE provides robust tools enabling evidence-based urban planning and decision-making. The project supports international collaboration, promoting the uptake of Copernicus services through validation of practical urban development solutions across Copernicus International partner countries such as Serbia, Tunisia, and Türkiye. Purpose of the Call: To expand the skilled practitioners of Geodata Science in Copernicus International Partner countries by using UDENE open-source tools as a practice platform in vocational courses. The Call Specific Objectives: 1) To expand the skilled user base of Copernicus Earth Observation System 2) To demonstrate the value of geodata science in public services for maximizing societal impact 3) To enable hands on training by embedding UDENE tools into educational curricula and training programs Expected outcomes (applies to all Copernicus International Partner countries): The grant receivers are expected to deliver an educational plan with the following components 1) Curriculum design for geodata science as an applied discipline, 2) Educational modules or course content integrating UDENE tools into practical geodata science curricula, ready to be adopted by vocational and higher educational institutions and/or training programs. 3) Demonstrative case studies suitable for the intended skill levels showcasing the use of UDENE tools and Copernicus products in solving specific urban development challenges relevant to the partner countries. Submission Process: Interested parties can use the guidelines available at the UDENE website Open Calls page to prepare proposals and the winners will be compensated to get to use the UDENE tools in October-November to implement their proposed workplans. Funding: There will be two winners per call per country, each of which will receive 10.000€ lump sum funding upon completing their educational plans. The Evaluation Process: The evaluation will be a two-stage process         Stage 1 - The Screening Procedure for Eligibility and Feasibility Checklist: SMEs, start-ups, Local authorities, NGOs, Associations, Education and Training Organizations, Research Performing Institutions, individuals, and teams of individuals, based in one of the target countries and as defined in Horizon Europe rules for participation, can be applicants. Only single applicants shall be eligible (no consortia). The proposed work should be reasonably feasible within the available time frame, given the functionalities of the UDENE tools as shown in the UDENE Practical Guidelines.            Stage 2 - The Quality Assessment Procedure: 1) Concept and Contemporaneity (Progressiveness and feasibility of the proposed courses and their learning outcomes; The design of the curriculum including prototype syllabus as well as inclusivity issues; Level of performance challenges demanded) 2) Impact (Economic and societal impact; European dimension, cross-sector/-border scalability; Offering as open courseware or not) 3) Applicant expertise (Capacity to perform the task; Knowledge and technological expertise in learning design; Financial viability/stability; Allocation and justification of resources)

Further information

Eligible organisations or individuals should be established in Türkiye, Serbia or Tunisia. Additional eligibility criteria can be found in the Call documentation. All eligible applicants and partners must respect the fundamental rights and values, as well as HE IPR regulations on which the EU is founded. More info about UDENE Project is at: https://udene.eu/ More information about UDENE FSTP Open Calls is at: https://udene.eu/open-fstp-calls/ UDENE Help Desk:  info@udene.eu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/udene_project/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/UDENE/61556171654905/ Online Webinars: 9th July 2025 for Serbia; 10th July 2025 for Tunisia; and 28th July 2025 for Türkiye The submission link and the links to the webinars will be provided at: https://udene.eu/open-fstp-calls/ Regular weekly FAQ updates will be accessible on sub-web pages. Applications for UDENE Open Call must be done in English. Applicants will need to sign a Declaration of Honour, an Ethics, Intellectual Property and Security Declaration, and an SME Declaration if the applicant is an SME.