Element 3 is focused on participating States’ priorities and aims at supporting their national navigation activities along the whole value chain. Element 3 configures as an ad-hoc support element, which is envisaged per country and possibly per domain, for the development and promotion of products, applications and services based on GNSS and more widely on PNT systems, coherently to national strategies.
Element 3 configures as an opportunity for the participating States delegations to animate and coordinate discussions with national entities and to set up the processes to identify and federate institutional demands. This will foster cooperation as well as possible national partnerships with a wide diversity of actors, enlarging the national space community (agency, industries, universities and research centres) and strengthening its relationships with authorities, organisations, institutions, industries and research actors from non-space sectors.
Universities, research centers and national agencies of different application domains, are invited to submit proposals for the development of PNT projects coherent with national PNT strategies.
Following participating States request, ESA may provide technical assistance in various areas typically:
– System & technical assistance for the management and implementation of national programmes and activities for the most suitable development and exploitation of GNSS and more widely PNT infrastructures and techniques;
– Development and exploitation of tools and facilities for test/demonstration campaigns aimed at the provision of new PNT products and services for institutional users, at national or multi- national level;
– Exploitation and use of ESA labs, test beds & technical facilities as contribution to national field test activities via complementary laboratory and field test activities
The institutional nature of this programme Element will call for a fully funded approach. Ad hoc partnership mechanism should be established on a case by case base ensuring that 100% of ESA’s costs are covered.
It is implemented through a continuous open call capable of stimulating unsolicited proposals, the eligibility of which will be indicated by the relevant participating State
(i.e. support letter).
