After going through a selection process, the consortium and the European Advisory Board of FabSpace 2.0 selected 14 new FabSpaces to contribute in highlighting the achievement of European space programmes and thereby European space data and broadcast a standard to foster open innovation in Universities 2.0 and possibly develop new applications and services enabled by space related data.

The FabSpace 2.0 project announces its expansion with 14 new FabSpaces located in various countries worldwide. The new FabSpaces will help consolidate the FabSpace 2.0 project’s mission all over the world, disseminating the services and helping to address the needs of final users of Earth Observation and geodata-based applications.

A local University or Educational Institutions compose each new FabSpace. The new FabSpaces are opening at the beginning of 2018 and are joining the existing FabSpace 2.0 network. The new 14 FabSpaces are:

• Bordeaux FabSpace (France) – Bordeaux INP, NSEIRB-MATMECA School of Engineers, Talence;
• Brest FabSpace (France) – GIS Bretagne Télédétection (IMT Atlantique), InnovationBrest, Plouzané;
• Nice FabSpace (France) – Université Côte d’Azur Le Grand Château, Faculty of Sciences; SKEMA Business School Nice;
• Venezia FabSpace (Italy) – IE4ST – Istituto Europeo per lo Sviluppo Tecnologico, Venezia;
• Torino FabSpace (Italy) – Politecnico di Torino, ITHACA, Torino;
• L’Aquila FabSpace (Italy) – The Center of Excellence CETEMPS of the University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila;
• Pavia FabSpace (Italy) – Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell’Informazione, Pavia;
• Prague FabSpace (Czech Republic) – Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague;
• Castellon de la Plana FabSpace (Spain) – Universitat Jaume I, Institute of New Imaging Techniques Castellon de la Plana;
• Vilnius FabSpace (Lithuania) – Vilnius University, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences Vilnius;
• Yerevan FabSpace (Armenia) – National Academy of Sciences of The Republic of Armemia, Institute For Informatics and Automation Problems, Yerevan;
• Yaoundé FabSpace (Cameroon) – EUREKA Geo, Institute de Formation Professionnelle Spécialisé dans les métiers de la Géomatique;
• Limassol FabSpace (Cyprus) – Cyprus University of Technology, Eratosthenes Research Center, Limassol;
• Noordwijk FabSpace (The Netherlands) – Space Solutions Foundation and Wageningen University and Research, Earth Informatics, Noordwijk.

Each FabSpace will offer a “Space Science Shop” service, that collects the needs and the societal challenges of external stakeholders (Civil Society Organisations, Public Authorities and Companies), linked to application domains of EO and satellite navigation uses (i.e., Agriculture and Forestry; Energy; Environment and resource efficiency; Intelligent Transport Systems; Smart cities; Health and well-being). The scope is to provide independent participatory research support in response to concerns experienced by external stakeholders, offering a demand-driven and bottom-up approach to the FabSpace facility and screening questions provided by these stakeholders.

The FabSpace 2.0 network is also organising activities such as Open Days, Innovation Events (e.g. Hackathons, Start-Up Weekends, App Camps), workshops and conferences, bootcamps and many other open events as part of the project. The new FabSpaces are welcome to replicate them in their country/region and participate to the FabSpace 2.0 European innovation events and contests. Additionally, they can participate in the bootcamps organized by the six initial FabSpaces.

“FabSpace 2.0 is a very innovative project, working at the intersection of different cultures and interests, with Universities, students, public administrations and industry. We are very glad to have 14 new FabSpaces as they represent an asset for the growth of our network and for the evolution of our collective thinking and capacities,” said Marcello Maranesi from University of Rome Tor Vergata, leader of the FabSpace 2.0 network dissemination.

The international FabSpace 2.0 network will be launched at the beginning of 2019, and its legal status will be defined according to the results of the report on European and Non-European initiatives with which FabSpace 2.0 can create synergies. To this aim, existing initiatives, mainly in Europe, will be monitored and possible actions will be defined. Given the particular added value of Earth Observation data and Satellite Navigation services in countries with less ground infrastructures (i.e. developing countries) specific attention will also be given to the developing countries as much business markets are expected to grow. In the upcoming year, the project aims to extend the network to more countries worldwide.

New FabSpaces Location