Unlocking the Power of Eclipse BaSyx with SPADE: When Industry 4.0 meets Agriculture

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By Eclipse Foundation

On April 29, 2025, the SPADE EU project proudly joined the Eclipse Foundation Research Webinar series to explore a cutting-edge integration of open-source innovation, digital twins, and agricultural technology.

This session brought together key voices from both industry and research to present how Eclipse BaSyx and SPADE are enabling smarter, sustainable drone applications across agriculture, forestry, and livestock.

📅 Watch the full recording here: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/research-29042025

Speakers & Talks

Frank Schnicke – Fraunhofer IESE

Talk: Eclipse BaSyx: Making Asset Administration Shells Easy
Frank offered an insightful walkthrough on how Eclipse BaSyx simplifies the development of Asset Administration Shells (AAS)—the building blocks of digital twins—through robust SDKs and modular frameworks. His practical examples demonstrated how even complex industrial processes can be streamlined using BaSyx.

Aristotelis Tagarakis – iBO / CERTH & Pablo Counhago Soto – Gradiant

Talk: SPADE: Building Agricultural Drone Digital Twins with Eclipse BaSyx

This joint presentation showcased how SPADE is using AAS-based digital twins to model data from UAVs operating in real-world agroforestry environments. From crop monitoring to livestock and forest mapping, the speakers revealed how the BaSyx platform provides the flexibility and scalability needed to build next-generation, AI-driven agricultural services.

Collaboration in Action

This webinar exemplified the SPADE project’s commitment to:

  • 🔄 Open-source ecosystems
  • 🌍 Sustainable innovation in agriculture
  • 📡 Scalable digital solutions powered by drones
  • 👥 Cross-sector collaboration between academia and industry

Our sincere thanks to the Eclipse Foundation for hosting this event and continuing to build bridges between research and real-world application.

Stay tuned as SPADE continues to develop its digital twin platform and open tools to help shape the future of smart agriculture.

SPADE at Shift APPens 2025 – A Hackathon of Innovation, Inclusion & Open Source

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From May 1-3, the SPADE EU Project proudly joined the 11th edition of Shift APPens, Portugal’s longest-running hackathon, as a Gold Partner. This incredible three-day journey brought together brilliant young minds, a passion for technology, and a shared mission to shape the future of drone innovation in agriculture, forestry, and livestock.

Our Challenge: Drone Navigation & Mapping in Forest-like Environments

We launched a hands-on challenge for participants to design an autonomous drone system capable of navigating from point A to B through cluttered or constrained environments—like forests. The system had to ensure fast, collision-free flight while generating a real-time map of its surroundings. A real “cage” was set up to test the algorithms in action, with students debugging live and watching their drones either hover in place—or crash dramatically!

The Winners

We are proud to congratulate Ana Leonor Filipe and Meryem Koç, two outstanding female IT scientists, for winning the SPADE Challenge. Their creative coding, persistence, and collaboration stood out in this intense competition. Their win also marks a significant step toward greater diversity in tech, a value close to SPADE and the European Commission’s mission.

Why It Matters

Beyond the fun and the flights, this hackathon was a unique opportunity to:

  • 📣 Present the SPADE EU Project and its Open Call 2
  • 🌍 Connect drone innovation to the goals of open source and sustainability
  • 💬 Interact with 300+ students from across Portugal and beyond
  • 🔗 Launch potential new collaborations with faculty, student associations, and tech communities

Relive the Moments

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Spade Open Call #2 applicants is Open Now

SPADE’S SECOND OPEN CALL FOR APPLICANTS IS OPEN NOW

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SPADE Open Call #2: Funding Opportunity for Innovators in Agriculture, Forestry, and Livestock

SPADE is excited to announce Open Call #2, inviting talented innovators to contribute cutting-edge solutions in drone technology, AI, and precision agriculture. With a total budget of €525,000, this initiative aims to support nine groundbreaking projects focused on advancing agriculture, forestry, and livestock management through UAV technology. Eight selected projects will receive €60,000 each, while one project will be awarded €45,000, with a project duration of six months.

Call for Applicants – OPEN NOW

Are you developing innovative UAV solutions for agriculture, forestry, or livestock? Open Call #2 offers funding opportunities for projects addressing key industry challenges. With a total budget of €525,000, selected projects will receive financial support and six months to develop cutting-edge solutions. Eligible participants include universities, research centers, SMEs, and NGOs across the EU and Horizon Europe-associated countries.

Research Areas & Challenges

  • Open-Field Case Study (Spain)
  • Forestry Case Study (Norway)
  • Livestock Case Study (Greece)
  • Universal Consideration Across Case Studies

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be legally established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Eligible entities include universities, research centers, NGOs, foundations, SMEs, and startups. Each proposal must be submitted by a single entity (no consortiums allowed), and organizations may submit a maximum of two proposals (one per challenge). Proposals that have already received funding from other sources are ineligible to prevent duplicate funding.

Why Join SPADE?

  • Secure Funding: Up to €60,000 to develop and test your solution
  • Tackle Real-World Challenges: Apply your expertise to agriculture, forestry, and livestock sectors
  • Gain Visibility: Present your innovations to industry leaders and stakeholders
  • Drive Sustainability: Contribute to the future of precision farming and environmental monitoring

Key Dates & Selection Process

  • Applicant Registration: 24 March – 26 May 2025, 17:00 Brussels Time
  • Evaluation: June – July 2025
  • Legal Validation & Agreement Signing: July 2025
  • Project Implementation: August 2025 – January 2026

Interested applicants must register and complete the registration form, and submit their proposals using the provided templates.
Full guidelines and FAQs are available to support applicants throughout the process.

Learn more about SPADE OPEN CALLS #2 for Applicants

Learn More
Spade Open Call #2 Evaluators is Open Now

SPADE’S SECOND OPEN CALL FOR EVALUATORS IS OPEN NOW!

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SPADE is advancing drone technology for agriculture, forestry, and livestock management through Open Call #2. We invite innovators to develop groundbreaking solutions and evaluators to assess proposals that will drive sustainable advancements in these fields.

Call for Evaluators – OPEN NOW

Are you an expert in drone technology, AI, precision agriculture, or forestry and livestock monitoring? SPADE is seeking independent evaluators to assess Open Call #2 proposals. Evaluators will play a key role in ensuring a fair and high-quality selection process by reviewing applications based on technical and scientific criteria.

Why Join SPADE?

  • Gain recognition as a contributor to a major EU innovation project
  • Network with top industry experts, researchers, and policymakers
  • Enhance your professional portfolio with high-impact experience
  • Receive financial compensation for your expertise

Eligibility Criteria

  • Extensive experience in evaluating technological projects

  • Strong technical, scientific, or commercial knowledge of drone applications

  • Neutrality: No affiliations with SPADE Open Call #2 applicants or consortium members

Key Dates:

  • Evaluator Registration: 10 March – 7 April 2025, 17:00 Brussels Time
  • Proposal Evaluation: 08 April – 15 April 2025
  • Onboarding Webinar: 19 May 2025
  • Final Evaluations: 10 June – 30 June 2025

Join SPADE and be part of a transformative initiative in smart agriculture, forestry, and livestock management.
Learn more about SPADE OPEN CALL for Evaluators (EV)

Learn More
SPADE Consortium Meeting 18-19 December 2024

SPADE Project Enters Third Year: Strengthening Innovation and Collaboration

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The SPADE Physical Consortium Meeting, held in Berlin on December 18-19, 2024, marked a significant milestone in the project’s third year. Partners reviewed progresses achieved in the first 2 years, shared insights, and set the direction for leveraging UAV technology in sustainable agriculture, forestry, and livestock management.

Key updates included advancements in the SPADE open-source platform and Digital Twins, with discussions focusing on implementation and standardisation. Technical working groups tackled critical topics such as open-source platform connections, forestry applications, planting drones, and acoustic sensor edge computing, showcasing collaborative progress across teams.

The meeting also highlighted the success of the first Open Call, addressed open-source requirements, and laid the groundwork for the second Open Call with key review topics and decisions finalised.

Outreach and dissemination plans gained momentum with strategies for expert videos, the upcoming SPADE events organised internally and this meeting also discovered administrative updates and project management further strengthened the foundation for the next second phase of the project.

With clear objectives and renewed collaboration, SPADE is well-positioned to deliver transformative UAV solutions for sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability in Europe.

Stay connected for the latest developments!

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People gathered in a big room sharing a table are participants of a spade project.
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Poster Drones for Rural Development II. September 2024, 02:00 pm (CEST). 6 speakers

SPADE, CHAMELEON and ICAERUS at MDPI’s “Drones for Rural Development II” Webinar

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On September 19th, the SPADE EU project, Chameleon HorizonEU, and ICAERUS EU successfully shared insights during a webinar co-organized with MDPI. The event highlighted the pivotal role of drones in rural development, addressing key areas like precision agriculture, land management, and environmental protection.

On behalf of SPADE, Dr. Costas Davarakis presented on Monitoring Open Field Grazing, emphasizing the use of Multi-purpose UAVs, Direct Sensing Telemetry, and Edge Computing for Cloud-Based Digital Twinning.

This webinar presented the three referent European projects, associated with the development of rural areas, and used drones as the main thread. The scope of drone utilization in rural regions is extensive, spanning sectors such as agriculture, forestry, livestock, other industrial domains, environmental monitoring, and the assessment of water quality in rivers and lakes. Drones also play a vital role in firefighting efforts and provide assistance to the population, particularly elderly individuals.

The event brought together researchers, policymakers, drone enthusiasts, and industry experts to discuss real-world use cases, share project developments, and explore future opportunities for drone technology in rural and environmental applications.

Last year, the projects already shared their work at the previous “Drones for Rural Development” Webinar available here: https://lnkd.in/gWc-RgMn.

Know more about the agenda of this year’s event on the MDPI page: https://lnkd.in/dGSYz27B.

SPADE is a project funded by the European Union within the Horizon Europe program, with 21 partners from 10 European countries. For more information, kindly visit https://spade-horizon.eu/;

ICAERUS is an EU-funded project that aspires to advance the use of drones in agricultural production, forestry and rural communities. For more information, kindly visit https://icaerus.eu/;

CHAMELEON is a Horizon Europe Project that aims to optimize production and identify potential problems in agriculture, livestock, forestry and rural areas. For more information, kindly visit https://chameleon-heu.eu;

MDPI is a pioneer of academic open access publishing, which have been serving the scientific community since 1996. They focus on promoting collaboration, transparency, and innovation across various scientific fields, aiming to advance science by making high-quality research freely accessible to the public.

Image of the Webinar Drones for Rural Develpoment II
SPADE at Thessaloniki International Fair Thumbnail

SPADE at the Thessaloniki International Fair

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From September 7th to 15th, the SPADE team participated in the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) held in Greece. This event provided an excellent platform for SPADE to present its mission, latest achievements, and ongoing projects to a diverse audience, highlighting its contributions to key sectors and the technological landscape.

This year’s Thessaloniki International Fair focused on addressing modern challenges facing Greece’s economy, with particular emphasis on technological advancements, innovation, and sustainability. The event’s thematic areas included academia, technology research, energy, circular economy, and more, attracting participation from various industries and international stakeholders.

During the fair, SPADE presented its vision for sustainable technological development and showcased key results that align with the broader themes of the event, such as innovation and research. The fair’s focus on new tools and sustainable solutions across critical sectors resonated with SPADE’s goals, creating an ideal setting for networking and collaboration.

The Thessaloniki International Fair continues to be a central hub for the convergence of academia, industry, and policy discussions on cutting-edge technologies and their role in addressing national and global challenges.

For more information on the event, participants, and agenda, visit the official website: https://t.ly/CMGi-

Pictures of SPADE at Thessaloniki International Fair
SPADE EU Project News 1st Joint Newsletter with ICAERUS & CHAMELEON

The SPADE Participation in Joint Newsletter with ICAERUS and CHAMELEON

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SPADE project is pleased to announce its participation in a collaborative newsletter initiative with sister projects ICAERUS and CHAMELEON. The joint newsletter will serve as a platform to introduce the three projects, fostering knowledge exchange and strengthening ties within the scientific community.

SPADE, ICAERUS, and CHAMELEON, while distinct in their specific areas of focus, share a common goal of integrating drones as a multi-purpose solution for agricultural, forestry and livestock use cases. This joint newsletter initiative presents a valuable opportunity to leverage the collective expertise and progress achieved by each project, ultimately accelerating progress in the specific fields.

The special issue of the newsletter is out!
Enjoy Reading Here

Poster TRA 2024 - transport research Arena Dublin 2024 - 15 to 18 April

SPADE participated at Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2024 Conference

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In a Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2024 event held at the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin, SPADE, on behalf of Anssi Rauhala from University of Oulu, presented an oral communication  titled “The Governance and Regulations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the European Union – A Comparative Framework,” captivating audiences with early insights from the SPADE project.

The SPADE project’s participation at TRA 2024 underscored its dedication to cutting-edge research and highlighted the vital importance of navigating the evolving realm of unmanned aerial technology within the EU’s regulatory framework. With an estimated participation of approximately 4000 attendees, TRA 2024 served as a beacon for fostering innovation and collaboration in the transportation sector, offering a platform for researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to exchange ideas and insights. As the largest European research and technology conference on transport and mobility, TRA 2024 provided an unparalleled opportunity for the SPADE project to contribute to advancements in UAV governance and shape the future of transportation in Europe and beyond.