SPADE Open Call #1

Beneficiary & submission

This Open Call represents a unique opportunity for innovators and visionaries to contribute to the evolution of drone technology in agriculture. SPADE is committed to fostering groundbreaking solutions that can reshape the agricultural landscape, and we are dedicating a budget of 360,000 EUR to fund exceptional projects in this first call. It’s worth noting that the maximum amount per beneficiary is 60,000 EUR. To foster a dynamic and thriving ecosystem in the agriculture drone technology sector, SPADE will conduct an Open Call for innovative solutions to identify and finance six of the most promising and ambitious Case Studies that will augment the capabilities of agriculture drone technology. To be eligible for funding through the SPADE Open Call, applicants must align their solutions with one of three distinct SPADE Case Study groups: 1.Open-Field Case Study Integration (Spain): The open-field case study in Spain primarily focuses on distinct use cases in potato crops and terraced crops. 2.Forestry Case Study integration (Norway):In Southern Norway SPADE will implement three forestry-based use cases: (1) a drone swarm for forest inventory, (2) a tethered drone for operational support of a wheeled forest harvester, and (3) a heavy-lift drone for implementing forest operations. 3.Live-stock Case Study integration (Greece): The primary objective is to enhance and promote sheep breeding through grazing and health monitoring on the Greek island of Lesvos. It will utilize multi-purpose UAVs in various configurations, synchronized with SPADE platform digital twin services. SPADE’s Open Call 1 is designed to invite applicants who can provide innovative solutions to address the specific challenges presented by each of our three distinct pilots. These pilots encompass various aspects of agriculture drone technology and aim to revolutionize the field in their respective domains. Furthermore, in addition to the pilot-specific challenges, there are two overarching challenges that apply universally across all of SPADE’s pilot initiatives. These overarching challenges have the potential to shape the landscape of agriculture drone technology. SPADE seeks to select and finance one project for each challenge, ensuring that the selected solutions align with our mission to enhance and promote sustainable and efficient practices in agriculture through the power of drone technology. The challenges of this Open Call #1 are: Universal consideration across case studies (UCU) ·UCU-Challenge 1: Swarm communication and navigation. ·UCU-Challenge 2: Open-Source Data Transfer solution/hardware and software solution for efficient, real-time data transfer. Case Study 1: Open-field case study integration ·CStudy1-Challenge 1: Aerial mapping. ·CStudy1-Challenge 2: Infrastructure for enabling cloud processing of ML tools within SPADE platform. Case Study 2: Forestry Case Study ·CStudy2-Challenge 1. Drones for Below-Canopy Mapping and Inventory Case Study 3: Livestock Case Study Integration ·CStudy3-Challenge 1: Integrating livestock sensors, edge computing data, and SPADE Livestock Cloud Submission & evaluation process The submission will be done through the official online submission SPLORO platform, which is directly linked to the SPADE website. Only applications received directly through the online submission platform will be considered eligible. The submission process is supported by the following documents: ·Guideline for applicants: all the information applicants need to know before applying. ·Support Documents: Here, applicants will find a series of annexes that will serve as support for applying to the call. ·FAQs: This document compiles common questions that prospective participants may have and provides clear and concise answers. Its goal is to guide applicants through the call, providing valuable information and eliminating potential uncertainties to facilitate a successful application process. ·Online Form: completed via SPLORO platform and divided into 11 sections (1) Organisation profile (2) Project Description (3) Team (4) Technical Excellence (5) Implementation (6) Impact (7) Communication (8) Dissemination (9) Deliverables List (10) Privacy policy (11) Declaration of Honour. The evaluation will have 4 stages: ·Eligibility criteria: An automatic filter will consider several criteria that all proposals must meet in order to be eligible (for more details please check the Guidelines for applicants). ·Experts’ remote evaluation: Applications that successfully pass the eligibility check will move to the remote evaluation stage, where two external evaluators with expertise in technology, business development, and drone technology will review each proposal, assigning scores based on 4 different evaluation criteria (Team, Technical Excellence, Implementation, and Impact). ·Normalization score: This method would ensure a more balanced distribution of scores and reduce the possibility of biases and distortions. ·Final Selection: All proposals are ranked based on their remote evaluation scores. In the event of a tie, a series of rules will be followed that will make it possible to reach a tiebreaker. Prior to contracting to the top ranked applicants, the consortium will ask for the approval of the European Commission, and the list of selected projects will be submitted to the European Commission for final screening. For more detailed information, you can consult the Guidelines for applicants. For any question about the process there is a general email address available at spade@sploro.eu

Further information

Only applicants legally established/resident in any of the following countries (hereafter collectively identified as the “Eligible Countries”) are eligible for funding: The Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions; oIn the case of Hungary, although it is an MS of the EU, according to Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506, no legal commitments should be entered into with any public interest trust established based on the Hungarian Law IX of 2021 or with any entity maintained by said public interest trust. Horizon Europe associated countries: according to the updated list published by the EC The European eligible entities by SPADE open call should be legally identified under the following categories of organisations: Universities and research centers: academic and research institutions. o It's important to note that within a department, multiple research groups exist, and while different groups from the same department can apply, it's crucial that individuals are not concurrently members of multiple research groups to ensure equitable allocation of resources and dedication to their respective research pursuits. NGOs and foundations: non-profit organizations and foundations with experience in drone applications development. SMEs and startups: small and medium-sized enterprises and startups that focus on developing innovative solutions related to SPADE use cases. Natural persons, mid-caps or large industries or corporations are not eligible for the purpose of the call (The exclusion of natural persons, medium-sized and large industries, or corporations for the purpose of the call is based on the legality established in the call to which SPADE responds HORIZON-CL6-2021-GOVERNANCE-01, as well as on what is also established in Grant Agreement No. 101060778.) Financial Support The overall budget allocated for the OC#1 is 360,000 EUR. The grant is disbursed throughout the SPADE project using a "flat rate" approach. In this approach, funding is progressively distributed based on the achievement of specific outcomes and milestones, rather than relying solely on administrative justifications related to time and/or expenses. It's worth noting that the maximum amount per beneficiary is 60,000 EUR.