Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Space4Cities (Integrating Galileo and Copernicus downstream applications to support dynamic use of Public spaces)
Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-01-31
Cities use a wide range of data sources in their urban management, but satellite data is widely under-used and not well-known. Space-based applications are already being used to some extent to manage public urban areas and infrastructure, but proof-of-concepts and standards are rarely available, or the solutions do not meet the needs of the cities. Furthermore, some parts of satellite- and space-based services need to reach a more mature stage in their development in order to be employable in urban settings. In other words, development and demonstration of the technical and economic maturity of innovative, space-based solutions is required.
For this reason, SPACE4Cities was set up: a large Pre-Commercial Procurement project that aims to procure replicable solutions, via smart use of European satellite data, for better and more dynamic management of public space, green areas, transport infrastructure and city maintenance—and the cities’ overall resilience. The SPACE4Cities project has received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and is part of the EUSPA portfolio. In total, the project budget reaches 5.2 million euros, of which 2.87 M€ is allocated for the Pre-Commercial Procurement to be used to procure innovative solutions from participating suppliers from around Europe.
In summary, the objectives of the project are to bring radical improvements to the quality and efficiency of public services through better use of space data. We’ll do so by conducting a joint Pre-Commercial Procurement to dynamize the market for satellite-based applications and public procurement. We also aim for a shorter time-to-market, facilitating the access of SMEs and startups to the procurement market and increased exploitation of IPRs and R&D results.
As part of SPACE4Cities, the 5 winning companies or consortia will develop different, replicable, commercially viable, and highly innovative solutions that provide actionable insights and go beyond the State-of-the-Art. These will lead to 5 high-visibility pilots in Buyers’ Group cities: Amsterdam, Attica region, Ghent, Guimarães and Helsinki as well as 10 smaller pilots in so-called Replicator cities. We aim for uptake of the project results across European cities via peer learning and capacity building within at least 50 Follower cities.
For this reason, SPACE4Cities was set up: a large Pre-Commercial Procurement project that aims to procure replicable solutions, via smart use of European satellite data, for better and more dynamic management of public space, green areas, transport infrastructure and city maintenance—and the cities’ overall resilience. The SPACE4Cities project has received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and is part of the EUSPA portfolio. In total, the project budget reaches 5.2 million euros, of which 2.87 M€ is allocated for the Pre-Commercial Procurement to be used to procure innovative solutions from participating suppliers from around Europe.
In summary, the objectives of the project are to bring radical improvements to the quality and efficiency of public services through better use of space data. We’ll do so by conducting a joint Pre-Commercial Procurement to dynamize the market for satellite-based applications and public procurement. We also aim for a shorter time-to-market, facilitating the access of SMEs and startups to the procurement market and increased exploitation of IPRs and R&D results.
As part of SPACE4Cities, the 5 winning companies or consortia will develop different, replicable, commercially viable, and highly innovative solutions that provide actionable insights and go beyond the State-of-the-Art. These will lead to 5 high-visibility pilots in Buyers’ Group cities: Amsterdam, Attica region, Ghent, Guimarães and Helsinki as well as 10 smaller pilots in so-called Replicator cities. We aim for uptake of the project results across European cities via peer learning and capacity building within at least 50 Follower cities.
The main activities during Period 1 revolved around engaging with stakeholders and potential suppliers, as well as preparing for the Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP). This included refining the SPACE4Cities Challenge by collecting user requirements from the Buyers Group cities, developing the evaluation criteria, and formulating the Satellite downstream applications criteria.
A series of webinars and workshops were held to engage with potential suppliers and raise awareness of the project. These activities resulted in a high level of interest, as can be read in the results section below. Additionally, public procurers were actively engaged through webinars and a survey, contributing to the validation of challenge areas and use cases.
To support the PCP process, a comprehensive Call for Tenders documentation was prepared, including the main document, functional and non-functional requirements, and the framework agreement. In parallel, a Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) was signed by all Buyers Group members, confirming their commitment and cooperation in the PCP.
The project also focused on developing a favorable regulatory framework to support the deployment of solutions and a capacity-building program for cities and regions involved in the project. This included a baseline survey of regulatory and policy challenges, as well as the planning of webinars and workshops to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.
A series of webinars and workshops were held to engage with potential suppliers and raise awareness of the project. These activities resulted in a high level of interest, as can be read in the results section below. Additionally, public procurers were actively engaged through webinars and a survey, contributing to the validation of challenge areas and use cases.
To support the PCP process, a comprehensive Call for Tenders documentation was prepared, including the main document, functional and non-functional requirements, and the framework agreement. In parallel, a Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) was signed by all Buyers Group members, confirming their commitment and cooperation in the PCP.
The project also focused on developing a favorable regulatory framework to support the deployment of solutions and a capacity-building program for cities and regions involved in the project. This included a baseline survey of regulatory and policy challenges, as well as the planning of webinars and workshops to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.
The main results of Period 1, i.e. the first year of the project, were the large-scale and successful Open Market Consultation as well as the preparation and the launch of the 2.87 million Euro Request for Tenders on 15.1.2025. SPACE4Cities really managed to “put itself on the map” and gain a high level of familiarity among its main target groups (ie. Suppliers and Procurers).
The OMC managed to engage over 360 different Suppliers through its webinar series, plus 78 via the Supplier survey. The match-making directory has been popular with 87 registered Suppliers; an ever-growing number during the opening time of the Call for Tenders.
While the total interactions with Suppliers easily reached over 870 (more if interactions at events were to be counter more liberally), also Public Procurers were actively engaged during the project’s first year. Via the webinar series, around 68 different public sector organisations were reached, with another 23 via the Procurer Survey (used to validate the challenge areas and use cases).
Active dissemination paid off in terms of visibility: the 12 videos on the SPACE4Cities YouTube channel (with the informational video as well as webinar recordings) has around 4500 views. The mailing list has gained 1130 subscribers and the LinkedIn page has 1093 followers during this first project year. This provides an excellent base for the rest of the project and will help with the dissemination and scaling of the solutions of the winning Suppliers.
The next project milestone will be the selection of 20 Suppliers during May 2025, upon which the three R&D phases of the Pre-Commercial Procurement can start.
The OMC managed to engage over 360 different Suppliers through its webinar series, plus 78 via the Supplier survey. The match-making directory has been popular with 87 registered Suppliers; an ever-growing number during the opening time of the Call for Tenders.
While the total interactions with Suppliers easily reached over 870 (more if interactions at events were to be counter more liberally), also Public Procurers were actively engaged during the project’s first year. Via the webinar series, around 68 different public sector organisations were reached, with another 23 via the Procurer Survey (used to validate the challenge areas and use cases).
Active dissemination paid off in terms of visibility: the 12 videos on the SPACE4Cities YouTube channel (with the informational video as well as webinar recordings) has around 4500 views. The mailing list has gained 1130 subscribers and the LinkedIn page has 1093 followers during this first project year. This provides an excellent base for the rest of the project and will help with the dissemination and scaling of the solutions of the winning Suppliers.
The next project milestone will be the selection of 20 Suppliers during May 2025, upon which the three R&D phases of the Pre-Commercial Procurement can start.