The first Horizon 2020 (H2020) call for Applications in Satellite Navigation is officially open. With a budget of EUR 38 million for the 2014 call, the deadline for submitting proposals is 3 April 2014.

This autumn, the FP7 project DETECTOR confirmed its ability to efficiently detect potential threats to GNSS positioning, timing and velocity.

EGNOS was presented at the world’s largest agricultural trade fair – Agritechnica – in Hanover. Satellite navigation is a key enabler of innovation in precision and smart farming, and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is ushering agriculture and promotes efficient management of resources whilst also protecting the environment.

Horizon 2020 is the European Union’s next programme for research and innovation with a focus on securing Europe’s global competitiveness. This major initiative will run from 2014 to 2020 and has a total budget of over €70 billion. Space, and Galileo in particular, form a significant part of Horizon 2020 and the draft work programme for the initial two years of the programme has just been published

The European Space Solutions’ dedicated session on environmental protection demonstrated the multiple benefits that space technology brings. The session included examples of how space technology is being used to support agriculture, forestry, air quality monitoring and biodiversity.

The European Space Solutions conference covered aspects of transport on land (chaired by the European GNSS Agency (GSA)) and water, with a focus on how space solutions are making a real impact on the mobility of goods and people both regionally and world-wide.

In view of the introduction of the eCall in-vehicle systems set to use GNSS satellite positioning, including EGNOS and Galileo, and in view of Galileo Early Services, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) announces the opportunity for eCall device manufacturers to test Galileo compatibility.

European Space Solutions conference focussed on emergency response and disaster management. Accurate location data is essential for an efficient and timely response in any emergency – and positioning satellite technology is the key to providing such data.

The 10th edition of the joint European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and Copernicus Masters 2013 ceremony was a festive evening held in conjunction with the opening day of the European Space Solutions conference in Munich. The event put the spotlight on innovative entrepreneurs and application developers utilising satellite navigation and earth observation technologies and was attended by high level personalities from government, institutions and industry.

With cash prizes totalling EUR 13 000 and a wider geographical scope for entries, the second edition of the Farming by Satellite Competition is now open for submissions. The aim of the competition is to promote the use of satellite technologies in agriculture and their benefits to end users. The competition, an initiative of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), is supported by agricultural machinery manufacturers CLAAS and crop science experts Bayer.