Abstract: The report outlines the new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Earth observations enabling the Copernicus evolution for the remaining part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and beyond.
It represents a major update of the roadmap developed in 2020 for the current MFF and was justified by growing user requirements, new technologies, evolving policies at EU and global level and a changing global geopolitical context.
The Copernicus evolution for the period 2021-2028 focuses on continued and more agile observations, service uplifting to take advantage of the digital transformation, more federated data infrastructures to enable data analytics, and promoting downstream market uptake of Copernicus products.
At this mid-term juncture, users require increased resilience and secure earth observations, enhanced knowledge provision, interactivity and decision-making tool, interoperability and AI-readiness, and mass adoption and on-demand offer.
The SRIA provides a longer-term perspective for R&I to inform the Copernicus evolution but also to justify and leverage investments in Earth observation. It complements or supplements other assessments such as those developed by Entrusted Entities and agencies to look at the broader potential of Earth observation beyond the strict EU Space Programme and its Copernicus component standpoint. Whilst Copernicus provides short-to-medium term research support at pre-operational level, the scope of the SRIA is to help shaping the long-term evolution of Copernicus and Earth observation across the European Union Research Programme. In practice, the document will serve as a reference to plan and develop associated research calls and topics over the years to come.
Link: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC136730