The Horizon 2020-funded BELS project is inviting European GNSS companies to come to South East Asia and visit the NAVIS Centre.
According to the most recent edition of the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) GNSS
market report, Asia is the ‘hot spot’ for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). In fact, it is currently the primary region of global market growth in terms of in-use GNSS devices. The region is forecasted to grow 11 % per year, from 1.7 billion devices in 2014 to 4.1 billion in 2023 – more than the EU and North America combined. Furthermore, the GSA notes that the region is becoming increasingly active in chipset manufacturing, along with building their own constellations.
In other words, Asia is an important market for GNSS, and the GSA is dedicated to ensuring European businesses are in a position to benefit from it.
Building bridges
Spearheading this effort is the Horizon 2020-funded BELS project. Committed to bringing European GNSS (E-GNSS) companies to South East Asia, the project aims to facilitate the breakthrough of E-GNSS technology by conducting a set of coordinated activities for raising awareness and capacity building. The BELS consortium is gathering the top GNSS universities and research institutes together to offer doctorate (PhD) partnering programmes, training opportunities, and placements for students at EU and Asian companies.
For companies seeking to collaborate on GNSS research and development (R&D), BELS also operates NAVIS, a dedicated GNSS R&D centre located in Hanoi, Vietnam. The facility is available for both testing and research activities, and as a hub for establishing new links with regional GNSS stakeholders. A motivated young team of researchers, which has regular exchanges with European universities, completes the picture.
A unique invitation
Although several EU receiver manufacturers have used the opportunity to co-locate their receivers at NAVIS, as the location is particularly suitable for testing the multi-constellation function, there’s plenty of room for more. To promote this unique opportunity, the project has launched its first call for expressions of interest, where European GNSS companies can receive vouchers to visit the NAVIS Centre. The purpose of the visit is to provide a company with the opportunity to experience the centre and all that it offers in terms of serving as a testbed for their GNSS equipment and solutions prior to making a commitment to relocate some of their activities to the centre.
“This first call is the perfect opportunity for a company to come to the NAVIS centre and see if it’s a good fit for them,” says Baerbel Deisting, one of the project’s coordinators. “This will be followed by a second call, where these companies can apply to receive vouchers to conduct testing of their GNSS solutions at the centre and network with stakeholders here in South East Asia.”
The details
The call is open to any EU-based company working with E-GNSS equipment and solutions and with a commercial interest in South East Asia. Successful applicants will receive financial support via a voucher worth up to EUR 2 500. Applicants can apply at any time during the year, with applications being evaluated every 3 months. The call will be closed once the available budget has been fully allocated. The first evaluation will occur in May. In order to be considered, companies should provide a short company profile, proof of activity in the field of E-GNSS, a letter of motivation, CV and suggested timeframe for the visit.
More information can be found here.
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