Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BELS-PLUS (Continuing Building European Links toward South East Asia in the field of GNSS - PLUS)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-03-01 bis 2020-02-29
The recent launch of Galileo initial services shows that the EC's new Space Strategy is moving in the right direction, with focus on applications and integration of civil space services combined with terrestrial technologies. An additional support of Galileo, not only in Europe, but also worldwide, is of tremendous importance to provide a viable foundation for the development of GNSS in Europe. South-East Asia is the hot spot for global navigation satellite systems and currently the primary region of global market growth in terms of in-use GNSS devices.
At present, none of the SEA states is running its own GNSS or WAAS systems, but it is the area where largest number of GNSS systems available worldwide can be accessed. Therefore, the region is of primary interest for European companies offering GNSS products and services. With the Navis Centre in Hanoi, the predecessor project of BELS+ was able to place a foothold for GNSS applications from Europe to SEA. Founded in 2009 the Navis Centre can serve as entry point for European companies aiming at entering the South East Asian market with their GNSS products.
BELS+ aimed at preparing the change of business inputs into real outputs. It aimed at further progressing in linking the two regions by implementing a set of coordinated activities in both, Europe and South-East Asia. The project included a mix of coordination actions to strengthen the links between the different actors, as well as support measures to create and propose initiatives and opportunities which increase awareness and generate concrete outputs in a mid to long-term timeframe.
BELS+ exploited the opportunities offered through the Navis Centre by implementing a Galileo Demo Centre in Hanoi building upon the broad engagement of stakeholders during the predecessor project BELS and aimed at attracting further European companies. The Demo Centre served as a platform to demonstrate the expertise of European GNSS companies. BELS+ supported the acquisition of European demo companies, prepared a local infrastructure for placement of EU GNSS devices and enabled the Navis staff to present European EGNSS equipment. This process was supported by promoting the Demo Centre to European Companies, within EU clusters and at conferences. BELS+ also addressed the need of skilled personnel on GNSS topics. It elaborated an action plan on how to coordinate activities now and in the future to counteract this shortage of human power. In addition, the project supported capacity building by providing dedicated GNSS training for professionals in the EU & SEA. This task was motivated by the fact that Europe requires more highly educated human resources in the field of GNSS. In Europe, qualified human resources are very difficult to find. To facilitate this process on the operative level BELS+ built further capacities through job fairs and professional trainings in EU and SEA.
At present, none of the SEA states is running its own GNSS or WAAS systems, but it is the area where largest number of GNSS systems available worldwide can be accessed. Therefore, the region is of primary interest for European companies offering GNSS products and services. With the Navis Centre in Hanoi, the predecessor project of BELS+ was able to place a foothold for GNSS applications from Europe to SEA. Founded in 2009 the Navis Centre can serve as entry point for European companies aiming at entering the South East Asian market with their GNSS products.
BELS+ aimed at preparing the change of business inputs into real outputs. It aimed at further progressing in linking the two regions by implementing a set of coordinated activities in both, Europe and South-East Asia. The project included a mix of coordination actions to strengthen the links between the different actors, as well as support measures to create and propose initiatives and opportunities which increase awareness and generate concrete outputs in a mid to long-term timeframe.
BELS+ exploited the opportunities offered through the Navis Centre by implementing a Galileo Demo Centre in Hanoi building upon the broad engagement of stakeholders during the predecessor project BELS and aimed at attracting further European companies. The Demo Centre served as a platform to demonstrate the expertise of European GNSS companies. BELS+ supported the acquisition of European demo companies, prepared a local infrastructure for placement of EU GNSS devices and enabled the Navis staff to present European EGNSS equipment. This process was supported by promoting the Demo Centre to European Companies, within EU clusters and at conferences. BELS+ also addressed the need of skilled personnel on GNSS topics. It elaborated an action plan on how to coordinate activities now and in the future to counteract this shortage of human power. In addition, the project supported capacity building by providing dedicated GNSS training for professionals in the EU & SEA. This task was motivated by the fact that Europe requires more highly educated human resources in the field of GNSS. In Europe, qualified human resources are very difficult to find. To facilitate this process on the operative level BELS+ built further capacities through job fairs and professional trainings in EU and SEA.
The BELS+ project has proceeded smoothly thanks to the commitment of the BELS+ consortium and the good cooperation of the team. Overall, all planned activities were carried out, all objectives fulfilled, and all expected impacts were reached:
• Support of developing market opportunities and competitiveness of EU industry.
This was achieved through different activities such as the establishment of the Galileo Demo Centre as Europe’s showcase in SEA and the support of companies (internal and external to the BELS+ consortium) to present their equipment and solution to SEA stakeholders, through the promotion of the Demo Centre and its activities with workshops and EGNSS days. First EU company already sold its equipment, next one is about to come, another one established an official distributor to promote and sell their products.
• Identification of strategic partnerships
The workshops, the EGNSS days as well as the travel support of SEA participants to European events supported possible strategic partnerships such as the one proposed by Dr. Peera who is in the Thai National Geo-informatics Board, chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand and was supported to attend the European Space Week 2019. He mentioned that there is a Subcommittee on Infrastructure Management of GNSS including a Working Group for the management of CORS Network and there exists one Thai-Japanese Joint WG on GNSS Infrastructure Development. He proposed the setup of a Thai-EU WG to foster EU-Thai dialogue on GNSS. This is a concrete point not only to identify but to establish a strategic partnership.
• Extension of international co-operations and building of industrial relationships
The organisation of two workshops in SEA as well as the EGNSS days, including SEA as well as EU stakeholders, supported and fostered interactions and dialogues between representative from SEA ministries/institutions and EC DG Grow and further extended the international co-operation. In addition, the Demo Centre was part of a coherent marketing and promotion campaign which involved SEA and Europe stakeholders, bridging the two continents for an effective international cooperation, with its activities to meet and discuss it supported the interaction with the GNSS community in SEA, contributed to international co-operations and built industrial relationships.
• Support of developing market opportunities and competitiveness of EU industry.
This was achieved through different activities such as the establishment of the Galileo Demo Centre as Europe’s showcase in SEA and the support of companies (internal and external to the BELS+ consortium) to present their equipment and solution to SEA stakeholders, through the promotion of the Demo Centre and its activities with workshops and EGNSS days. First EU company already sold its equipment, next one is about to come, another one established an official distributor to promote and sell their products.
• Identification of strategic partnerships
The workshops, the EGNSS days as well as the travel support of SEA participants to European events supported possible strategic partnerships such as the one proposed by Dr. Peera who is in the Thai National Geo-informatics Board, chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand and was supported to attend the European Space Week 2019. He mentioned that there is a Subcommittee on Infrastructure Management of GNSS including a Working Group for the management of CORS Network and there exists one Thai-Japanese Joint WG on GNSS Infrastructure Development. He proposed the setup of a Thai-EU WG to foster EU-Thai dialogue on GNSS. This is a concrete point not only to identify but to establish a strategic partnership.
• Extension of international co-operations and building of industrial relationships
The organisation of two workshops in SEA as well as the EGNSS days, including SEA as well as EU stakeholders, supported and fostered interactions and dialogues between representative from SEA ministries/institutions and EC DG Grow and further extended the international co-operation. In addition, the Demo Centre was part of a coherent marketing and promotion campaign which involved SEA and Europe stakeholders, bridging the two continents for an effective international cooperation, with its activities to meet and discuss it supported the interaction with the GNSS community in SEA, contributed to international co-operations and built industrial relationships.
BELS+ supported EU Companies to present their EGNSS equipment and solutions in the Galileo Demo Centre in SEA and to establish business contacts. BELS+ promoted EGNSS and its applications & solutions in SEA through workshops and specific activities such as training sessions or EGNSS Days. Contacts initiated within the BELS+ project between EU companies and SEA GNSS stakeholders facilitated future market opportunities in SEA. In addition, the BELS+ team facilitated contacts between EU and SEA institutions in order to disseminate and exploit the results of the project in the future, both, in South East Asia and Europe. BELS+ supported the readiness of the Navis and its Demo Centre to act as a linking entity between EU and SEA and to promote EGNSS in the region.
Overall, BELS+ contributed to further strengthen the links in EGNSS between EU-SEA and its partners are ready to support the EC and its Agencies in their actions in the region.
Overall, BELS+ contributed to further strengthen the links in EGNSS between EU-SEA and its partners are ready to support the EC and its Agencies in their actions in the region.