Twenty Dutch and German companies are working together on technology development for drones in the INTERREG project SPECTORS. Together they are developing 11 new products. Sensor technologies for drones are central. SPECTORS stands for “Sensor Products for Enterprises Creating Technological Opportunities in airborne Remote Sensing”. The Dutch-German cooperation project is funded by INTERREG V-A Deutschland-Nederland.
In SPECTORS, companies in the Dutch-German border area work together on the development of applications such as laser and radar positioning systems for in- and outdoor navigation, 3D scanners for land surveying and radars for traffic monitoring at airports and traffic crossings.
The parties are also working on developing systems that will enable drones to engage in physical interactions with the environment, such as moving objects. In addition, entrepreneurs are building big data systems for the smart use of the large amounts of information coming from the sensors. In total, the partners are working together on eleven new products.
The participating companies are working closely together with ten Dutch and German knowledge partners, including the universities of Wageningen and Twente and the Hochschule Rhein-Waal.
Business case-driven developments
Oost NL is co-developer of SPECTORS. Oost NL will coordinate the business development activities of the companies so that business case-driven developments take place. This means that Oost NL helps parties to work in a market-oriented way, so that newly developed products come onto the market. This allows companies to grow and creates employment. The aim of SPECTORS is to develop new sustainable business cases for sensor and drone technology through cross-border technology development. The project supports the development of 11 innovative products with a potential of 40 jobs.
Funding
Companies and governments together invest € 10 million. The project is part of the European INTERREG VA grant programme. The companies are largely self-funding and receive financial support from the EU, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel and the German government. Lead partner of this project is the German company ISIS-IC.
Want to know more? Please contact us or visit www.spectors.eu.