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Cretan Center of Excellence in Emerging Space Technologies

Objective

The SPACE-Crete project will create the new, autonomous, and self-sustained Cretan Center of Excellence in Emerging Space Technologies (CCEST) as a European Leader in emerging Optical and Quantum Communications and Sensing as well as Orbital High-Performance Computing. This vision will be realized through close collaboration with our advanced partners—the Space Architecture & Systems and CosmoStat Laboratories of CEA, the Institutes for Quantum Technologies and Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)—and our strategic commercial partner, OHB-Hellas. CCEST will build upon the foundational space research expertise of the FORTH Institutes of Computer Science, Astrophysics, and Electronic Structure and Laser and the academic excellence of the University of Crete. Having OHB-Hellas as an industrial partner will strengthen the Center's role in driving cutting edge innovation and technological advancements.

CCEST will establish Crete as a premier European hub for space technology and innovation. Its applications will target space-to-ground optical communications, space surveillance and tracking, time-domain astronomy, and computational sensing for Earth observation, addressing urgent needs in time-critical environmental monitoring, security & defense, civil protection, and astrophysics research. The new testing and development infrastructures, along with the Skinakas Observatory telescopes, will enable CCEST to swiftly transition locally developed foundational technologies (TRL 2/3) into validated prototypes (TRL 5/6) and then, together with our partners, take the most promising projects all the way up to space. To this end, CCEST will become an ESA certified testing facility, solidifying Crete’s position as THE SPACE ISLAND of Greece and Southeastern Europe.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-ACCESS-01

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Coordinator

IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 10 000 000,00
Address
N PLASTIRA STR 100
700 13 IRAKLEIO
Greece

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Region
Νησιά Αιγαίου Κρήτη Ηράκλειο
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 10 000 000,00

Participants (4)