To the Stratosphere

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Diario:

Fuerteventura, to the stratosphere: keys to the millionaire development of the Technology Park

• The air station for the take-off of unmanned aircraft has a favorable environmental impact statement and a budget of more than 13 million euros.
  
• The overall investment planned seems huge: 67 million euros. The territorial procedure is novel: the first declaration of island interest that will come out in the Canary Islands with the new Land Law. And the goal, tremendously ambitious: to turn Fuerteventura into a test bed for aerial devices that reach 20 kilometers high.
  
  In the midst of the economic crisis due to the pandemic, the commitment to an initiative of this magnitude has attracted practically political unanimity, and the president of the Cabildo majorero, Sergio Lloret, is convinced: "There are multinationals that receive funds for research, which have to comply with calendars, which only lack the site to carry out tests and who have chosen Fuerteventura because they consider that it has the ideal characteristics".
  
  What is the project? The name – Canarias Stratoport for HAPS – does not help to understand the initiative too much, unless they are people familiar with that world of unmanned aircraft, which take advantage of the weak winds of the stratosphere and solar energy to fly up to 20,000 meters high, without interfering with commercial aviation. That is precisely what the acronym HAPS means: pseudosatellites that reach a high altitude, for its acronym in English.
  
  Basically, there are two types: airships or aerostats and fixed-wing aircraft. These are unmanned aircraft, piloted remotely, some of them with the capacity to cover an area of 785,000 square kilometers, although the project documentation considers the possibility that "occasionally" the circumstance of carrying out "manned aircraft operations for cases such as emergencies or fires" may occur.
  
  In any case, the main objective is research. "Technological innovation is taking place on a global scale in this type of aircraft, also in drones, which have many applications, from communications, security, emergencies or even the urgent transport of products," details the president of the Cabildo in an interview with Diario de Fuerteventura. "The United States and China have an advantage over Europe, which is allocating huge amounts of resources to research," he adds.
  
  That league is where the Fuerteventura project wants to play. Although it arises now, the initiative has been going on for several years: in March 2019, the European Space Agency and the company of the Technology Park, which depends on the Cabildo, signed a commitment – "letter of intent" – for the "implementation of a defined area" in which to carry out takeoffs, landings and tests of pseudo-satellites and other air vehicles.
  
  Where would it be located? In the Technology Park, in the old aerodrome of Los Estancos, south of the current downtown building. The area of operations will be composed of several areas and buildings, such as two inflatable hangars with a height of 54 meters, and a runway of 928 meters in total length. The air station platform and hangars will have the capacity to operate aircraft with a wingspan of 72 meters. For its part, the flight track "will be compatible with aircraft of small dimensions" and "even manned in the future".
  
  The orientation of the track, indicated in the project documentation, is designed to adapt to the prevailing wind regime in the area and the utilization coefficient exceeds 92 percent of the time. "All operations carried out from the Stratoport", clarifies in the project, must be carried out in "coordination" with Fuerteventura Airport.
  
  As "mobile obstacles" are not ruled out, such as small aircraft "that invade the Stratoport's airspace without permission", especially in takeoffs and landings, or drones that "could operate without permits in the vicinity", the project contemplates the installation of a radar.
  
  The total area of the air station exceeds 1.2 million square meters. Approximately 50,400 square meters will be allocated for the hangars. The project has just obtained, at the end of December, the positive environmental impact statement, with few conditions.
  
  With the declaration of island interest in hand, the project can be tendered, which is budgeted at 13.3 million euros. To this are added the rustic land that will have to be acquired, with a cost of about three million.
  
  The alternative of building the Stratoport north of the Technology Park was considered, partly in an already urbanized area, but it was discarded because it was the land of the "old municipal landfill" and the land presents "inadequate geotechnical conditions".
  "We have a deadline of June 2023," Lloret insists. At that point, the Stratoport should be fully operational.
  
  How is it funded?" The global investment in the Technology Park would be around 67 million euros, of which 26 million we already have committed to the perception of public aid, "explains Sergio Lloret, who points out that the other "great project" is a center for innovation and development of emergency missions, biodiversity and security, through the use of drones. The Technology Park would house the logistics center for operations and to train drone pilots.
  
  

  "The global investment in the Park would be around 67 million euros"

• After a certain political battle, the capital increase of the public company of the Technology Park, which belongs to the Cabildo, for 38.5 million euros has ended up going ahead. "When it comes to multi-year investments, it is necessary to tender all the works and we must have financial support to assume them all, not just a part," says the president of the island institution.
  
  The capital increase comes out of the almost 200 million euros that the Cabildo has as a remnant, funds that are in the banks. "We are aware that what we anticipate will recover a large part later," says Lloret.
  
  "That the company of the Technology Park, which is already being considered internationally as an option, has the backing of a capital of about 40 million, gives it solidity in Europe," he adds.
  
  In the Archipelago, says the president of the Cabildo majorero, there are already those who look sideways at the advantage of Fuerteventura in this field. "We have competitors nearby, such as Gran Canaria, which is fighting for these same projects, but we have the advantage of having started this path earlier and having very advanced projects," says Lloret.
  The bases of the project are, and the interest of technology and aeronautical companies "has not declined," the president adds. There is not much left to attend the takeoff and check if the expectations are met.
  

Visualisation of possible Stratoport.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Diario:

Green light for the award of the works of the project of insular interest 'Canarias Strtoport for Haps'

• The plenary session of the Cabildo ratifies the initiative of the Fuerteventura Technology Park.
  

The plenary session of the Island Council has ratified the project of insular interest of the Fuerteventura Technology Park 'Canarias Stratoport for Haps' thus guaranteeing legal certainty for the execution of infrastructure works and acquisition and installation of equipment for the 'Canarias Stratoport for Haps' and the multipurpose building for projects and actions related to the 'Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030', especially ISSEC (International Smart for Security, Emergencies & Biodiversity Center).

In this sense, on the part of the Territorial Planning services of the Cabildo and on the part of the plenary session of the Corporation "there is no impediment to the start of the works that we are about to award", declared the island president, Sergio Lloret López, "and appealed to "not waste more time in carrying out this strategic action for Fuerteventura".
The project of execution of the civil works of the project 'Canarias Stratoport for Haps' and the multipurpose building were tendered on January 21 "and in just three months we are about to award them, with the commitment to be able to start in the month of June these very important works for the future of Fuerteventura", added Sergio Lloret. In this sense, he pointed out that it is logical that the Technology Park wants to have all the legal guarantees. From the Cabildo it is clarified that since the project does not have the objective of becoming an aerodrome, it will have to be the operators who in their day request this competition.
For his part, the counselor of the area, Rayco León, declared that "we will continue working on the roadmap marked so as not to lose the eight million euros that will be invested in the projects currently under development."

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Radio Sintonia:

17.5 million euros awarded to the works in the Fuerteventura Technology Park.

The Board of Directors of the Fuerteventura Technology Park (PTF) has awarded today for almost 17.5 million euros the projects for the execution of the infrastructure work and acquisition and installation of equipment for the 'Canarias Stratoport for HAPS' and the Multipurpose Building for projects and actions related to the 'Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030', especially ISSEC (International Smart for Security, Emergencies & Biodiversity Center).

 

"These are strategic works for the diversification of the economy of our island aimed at the world of pseudo-satellites and drones, of global technological innovation, which will be a decisive step for the economy of Fuerteventura and for the creation of new opportunities for our young people," said the president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret López.

The joint venture formed by Acciona Construcción S.A.-Lopesan-Asfalto y Construcciones S.A is the successful bidder for the project to execute the work of the HAPS and UAS platform execution project for an amount of 9,113,786 euros (without IGIC). These platforms, due to their dimensions, physical characteristics and way of operating, need ground bases, with diaphanous areas and with special characteristics for their proper integration and operation (landing and takeoff). The term of execution of this work is approximately 12 months.

The work of the Multipurpose Building for actions of the Canary Islands Geo Innovation Program 2030 has been awarded to the company Acciona Construcción S.A. for an amount of 8,229,853 euros (without IGIC). The execution of this project has an estimated term of 13 months.

The island president explains that "with this award we enter the culmination phase of the process of formalizing the contract to give way to the beginning of these works that will place Fuerteventura at the forefront of this technology and will mean a leap into the stratosphere in terms of economic diversification and job creation". In addition, the president wants to thank "the commitment, responsibility and effort with which both the services of the council and the Technology Park have acted in carrying out this important action for our island."

The Minister of Innovation, Rayco León, has declared that "finally the works of this project will materialize. In this way, in addition, the multipurpose building will be able to expand the capacity of the services of the Technology Park, which are currently full".

Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030, www.canarias-geo-innovation.com, and its development projects, have the co-financing in addition to the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, the European Union through its ERDF Funds and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, Spain Can, derived from the Next Generation EU fund, as well as the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Islands Research Agency, Innovation and Information Society, ACIISI of the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment.
On the other hand, the board of directors of the PTF also approved the extraordinary offer of public employment for the stabilization of temporary public employment for the reduction of temporality in accordance with Law 20/2021, of December 28.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

Installed the first stone of the estratopuerto of Fuerteventura.

The Fuerteventura Technology Park has presented today, Monday, October 3, several infrastructures of its Canarias Geo Innovation 2030 program, in which it has been working since 2017 and which aims to turn the island into an international reference within the experimentation and development of aerospace technologies.

 

Among these actions, on this day the first stone of a stratoport has been laid that will allow to launch pseudosatellites at high altitude, above twenty kilometers. It is technology endowed with a great resolution, which will allow a global vision of life on Earth, from the evolution of biodiversity to the movement of people, the prevention of emergencies and any other aspect. In addition, the new UAV (unmanned devices) control center has been presented, which will facilitate the tracking of drones and other technologically advanced devices.

The president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, accompanied by the Minister of Economy, Knowledge and Employment, Elena Máñez, among other local and island authorities, indicated in this act that these new facilities mean "a leap of quality more in the already powerful aeronautical and aerospace ecosystem that the islands have".

In addition, Torres pointed out that the new strastopuer, pre-financed by the regional government, through the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (Aciisi) with 8.4 million euros, "aspires to become an international reference to attract the main launch initiatives, public and private, that seek a location near the equator of the Earth, with stable Weather conditions throughout the year and with physical and legal security for investments, in addition to the existence of a package of tax incentives that facilitate investment".

In this same line, the Minister Máñez recalled that, in the last three years, the Government, through Proexca, has intensified the studies, reports and external promotion actions of the Canary Islands as a destination for investments in the sector, "in which the entire aeronautical ecosystem of the archipelago is valued, from the already consolidated potential of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands to the research of our universities and private initiatives, more and more solid."

"Now," concluded the Canarian Minister of Economy, "the first-class facilities of the Fuerteventura Technology Park are added to that list of strengths, which will soon become a pole of attraction and retention of international investments and, above all, of the talent trained on the islands."

During his speech, Torres stressed that "we live in the era of science, which was asked for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic and obtained it in less than a year, or that demonstrated its importance before the volcano of La Palma." In his opinion, the projects promoted today in the Fuerteventura Technology Park are "a milestone" thanks to the combined work of scientists, businessmen and politicians.

The president stressed the relevance of the Pact for Science recently signed in the Canary Islands and the state law in this field, a norm that recognizes and enhances the work of researchers. The Canarian president said that the Technology Park will be fundamental for Fuerteventura and the islands, and related it to examples such as the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), which celebrated its 30th anniversary last Friday (September 30). Torres insisted on the advantages of the islands to become a world reference in research and technological development, and considers that, with this type of betting, the island majorera opens the door to science without forgetting that its economy is closely linked to tourism. "This Majorero Park is also included in the Canarian Agenda 2030, to fight against climate change, and will bring prosperity to Fuerteventura, so I give my congratulations to everyone," he said.

Por su parte, el presidente del Cabildo majorero, Sergio Lloret, aseguró que el programa Canarias Geo Innovation 2030 debe consolidarse a medio y largo plazo, por lo que “su éxito solo es posible con la colaboración y cooperación generosa de todos y todas, más allá de los intereses personales o políticos”, resaltó. Lloret está convencido de que “las futuras corporaciones seguirán impulsando el programa y sus proyectos”. También recordó que este gran proyecto pionero y estratégico para Fuerteventura es el primero declarado de interés insular en Canarias.

El Perte Aeroespacial

The event held today also included the presentation of the Aerospace Perte designed by the State Government, by its Commissioner, Miguel Belló Mora. The Perte is an instrument that, through 18 lines of action, plans to mobilize about 4,533 million euros until 2025, with a contribution from the public sector of around 2,193 million euros, a private investment of about 2,340 million and to which the Canary Islands intend to attend, provided that calls for participation are opened according to their capabilities.

To it belongs, for example, the Complementary Biodiversity Plan, which has been captured for the Fuerteventura Technology Park, with an amount of 23 million euros, of which 12 are state contribution and the rest is financed from the Canary Islands. This project is based precisely on the technoport of the Majorero Technology Park, within the Geo Innovation Program 2030, and on the excellent opportunity that this facility will provide to send unmanned vehicles at high altitudes, which allow the detailed observation of the earth's surface.
The commitment to pseudosatellites also provides the advantage that, unlike traditional satellites, these are recoverable once their useful life has been exhausted, so they can be reprogrammed and reused in new tasks. It is a more sustainable observation model.

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Noticias:

The BOP publishes the file of forced expropriation of the lands of the Canary Islands Stratoport for haps.

The Cabildo estimates that the expropriation will cost 3.8 million euros of a total of 15 plots with more than 1.2 million euros.

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas (BOLP) on Wednesday the forced expropriation file for the Canarias stratoport for haps project. The majorera corporation did so after a request from the Government of the Canary Islands for the public information phase to be developed.

 
To carry out the stratoport, which will be located in Puerto del Rosario, it is necessary to expropriate land that the island corporation estimates will cost 3.8 million euros. In the document published this week it is specified that in total there are 15 plots that add up to an area of more than 1.2 million square meters. The promoter of the project is the public company Parque Tecnológico de Fuerteventura SA.
 
The Official Gazette of the Canary Islands of February 3, 2022 published the project, declared of island interest by the Cabildo de Fuerteventura. That document contained the list of plots to be expropriated, but identified only by castatral references. A month later, the plenary session of the council approved the compulsory expropriation file, which includes more details, such as the ownership or the affected area of each plot.
 
"The normal thing is that the file had been published then in the provincial bulletin to submit it to the public information phase, but the council considered that it was not necessary, explains Cristina Arribas, head of the Property Management service in the majorera corporation and who signs the file, "says Atlántico Hoy.

link to article for pics - compare to Google Earth and you can see where it is being situated

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Noticias:

Airbus and the Babcock-Telspazzio consortium present offers to the Technology Park for a budget of 27 million euros.

The Fuerteventura Technology Park validated last Monday, February 27, during the Ordinary Session of its Board of Directors, the proposal for the settlement of its annual accounts for the year 2022, a step prior to its final approval, which will have to be validated in the Plenary Session of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura on March 31.

 

A plenary session in which it is also expected to account for the processing process in which the projects linked to the 'Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030' are located, as well as other actions underway in the Technology Park and that were treated both in this week's session and in the one held last week by the Board of Directors of the public institution.

 

Among them, President Sergio Lloret especially valued the "great news" for the island to know that two large international groups, Airbus and the consortium formed by Babcock and Telspazzio, "have already submitted bids to access the tender, with a budget of 27 million euros, of the contract that will fill the Technology Park and the island of Fuerteventura with innovation and intelligence to place our island in the stratosphere of the science and aeronautics".

 

Sergio Lloret highlighted the advanced processing files for the contracting of these services "essential to advance in the strategic actions and the execution of the first tests on the island of Fuerteventura linked to drones and pseudo-satellites".

 

This is the pre-commercial public purchase contract for the development of 'Innovative solutions in areas of biodiversity, security, emergencies and other public service through aeronautical and aerospace platforms and technologies' of the 'International Smart for Security, Emergencies & Biodiversity Center' (ISSEC) project linked to the 'Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030'.

 

A contract that, after the presentation of these offers, goes to the process of 'competitive dialogue' and that aims to implement innovation strategies in promoting biodiversity on the island, with attention to natural parks, prevention of forest fires, solutions for the management of environmental complexes, resources against marine pollution and discharges into the sea, among others; as well as contributions to the security of public heritage, support for emergency services, control of critical public infrastructures (such as the water or road network) and smart tourism applications.

 

All these strategies will be linked to aeronautical and aerospace platforms and technologies that, based on Artificial Intelligence and other analysis technologies, will interpret the data received through sensors embedded in aeronautical platforms, drones or remotely manned atmospheric aircraft (UAS) and satellite or pseudo-satellite platforms (HAPS.

 

"The contracting of services for the commissioning of these important infrastructures under development is essential since the works are progressing at a good pace," said Lloret.

 

The contract for the dissemination of the Technology Park is underway

 

The Board of Directors held last Monday, February 27, also approved the proposal for the final award for the contract for the disclosure of the different actions of the Technology Park.

 

A contract that seeks, in the words of Sergio Lloret, that "both the society of Fuerteventura, as well as the education sector and the business fabric know all the initiatives that we will soon have on the island for all those young people who want to orient their future towards activities linked to drones and pseudo-satellites, as well as give knowledge to the companies of the island so that they can take advantage of the opportunities that will be opened with these initiatives".

 
Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030 and its development projects are co-financed by the Cabildo de Fuerteventura and by the European Union through its ERDF Funds and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan 'España Puede', derived from the Next Generation EU fund, as well as by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society, ACIISI of the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment. They are also co-financed with the Canary Islands Development Fund, FDCAN.

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Noticias:

The president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret, hosted today, Thursday, March 23, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the Minister of Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Elena Máñez, during the visit to the Fuerteventura Technology Park in order to monitor and share the progress of the Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030.



With a total of almost 160 million euros of planned investment, the projects under development since October 3, 2022, within the innovation program seek to deploy innovative solutions in Fuerteventura, based on data analysis, received from sensors embedded in aeronautical and aerospace platforms, "with the aim of improving public services provided to citizens and companies, diversify the island and regional economy, offer new opportunities to SMEs and companies, generate quality employment, retain island talent and establish on the island attractive elements for technology companies around the world, "says the Island Council in a press release.



President Lloret stressed that "15 years ago in Fuerteventura there was no talk of global technological innovation projects", stressing that it is necessary "to diversify the economic culture, a topic that some of us already talked about a few years ago. If the pandemic showed this island anything, it is that we have to bet decisively on these technological projects."



The Canarias Stratoport for HAPS-UAS, the construction of the multipurpose building of solutions and missions 'International Smart for Security, Emergencies & Biodiversity Center' (ISSEC), the RetechFor project, in collaboration with the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, for the monitoring and prevention of forest fire risks; as well as the collaborative projects in ENAIRE, ThalesAlenia and the Canary Islands Employment Service: U-elcome, Single European Sky, EuroHAPS and Canarias Geo Training Center, make up a whole program of projects that seek to "place Fuerteventura on the map of technological and scientific research in the world". In addition, it is the largest Spanish regional initiative in the development of innovative solutions through UAS and HAPS platforms.



In its entirety, the Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030, whose planning began in 2017, "aims to turn Fuerteventura into an international reference point in innovation and experimentation of aerospace technologies," they say.



In that sense, President Lloret stressed that now it will be possible to "jump from Fuerteventura to the stratosphere" by being involved in global technology initiatives, and by cementing the generation of opportunities to the business fabric of the majorera island and, above all, to the new generations. "We are fortunate to have in the Canary Islands and Fuerteventura the most qualified generation in our history, to whom new possibilities are opened with the actions we are developing," he said.



In the same line, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Victor Torres, indicated that "we are committed to these projects because there is a sensitivity to have in the Canary Islands new economic sectors that are linked to the traditional ones, such as commerce, tourism, but that are leading battering rams of the modernization of our land".



For her part, the regional councilor Elena Mánez thanked the "productive" presentation made that "has shown all the potential and all the capabilities that are in the Canary Islands" when developing a strategic sector. "The space sector is part of the recently approved 'Expanded RIS 3 Strategy' which, as you know, is enabling fundraising. However, on the part of the Government of the Canary Islands, we want to go further, not only comply with RIS 3, but have a present and future development strategy".



A promising future for Fuerteventura



With the laying of the first stone of the shared use infrastructure of the stratoport (Canarias Stratoport for HAPS-UAS), which took place on October 3, the race for R + D + i, integration, operation, flight control, tests and maintenance of pseudo-satellite platforms of high altitude (HAPS), directed balloons and other unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) began.



Phase 1 of this initiative, which has had a cost of 11 million euros, is already 50% executed, so it is expected to end in the summer of this year. In addition, this multipurpose project is included as Action 20 of the Strategic Projects for the Recovery and Economic Transformation (PERTE) Aerospace of the Government of Spain.



The launch of high-altitude pseudosatellites will allow us to achieve a global vision of the earth, its evolution and biodiversity. This, in turn, will give the possibility of obtaining resources from the civil movement capable of providing room for response in the prevention of emergencies, as well as creating an unmanned vehicle control center for the tracking of drones and other advanced technologies.



This is the pre-commercial public procurement contract for the development of 'Innovative solutions in areas of biodiversity, security, emergencies and other public service through aeronautical and aerospace platforms and technologies' of the 'International Smart for Security, Emergencies & Biodiversity Center' (ISSEC) project.



ISSEC is also a center for the creation, development, validation, certification and operation of innovative solutions through Data Analytics based on data obtained from sensors embedded in satellite platforms, pseudosatellite HAPS and / or UAS (drones).



The multipurpose building that will be built as part of this initiative, which will have 2,700 square meters, will have flight control rooms and simulators, as well as spaces for training and instruction (Geo Training Center), mission and data analysis (GIC), communications and ideas laboratory (GeoLab).



This work, which began in October last year, has a completion date of January 2024, is 25% executed and has a budget of 10 million euros.



The second part of the ISSEC project, Innovative Solutions, aims to find innovative solutions for biodiversity, security, emergencies and other public services, developed from the analysis of sensor data on board aeronautical and aerospace platforms.



For this initiative, two large international groups have been submitted with bids to access the tender, with a budget of 27 million euros: Airbus and the consortium formed by Babcock and Telspazzio.



Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030, www.canarias-geo-innovation.com, and its development projects, have the co-financing in addition to the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, of the European Union through its FEDER Funds and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, Spain Can, derived from the Next Generation EU fund, as well as the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Islands Research Agency, Innovation and Information Society, ACIISI of the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

The Technology Park of Fuerteventura disseminates the potential of the Canarias Stratoport.

The Technology Park of Fuerteventura will maintain this week an intense agenda of dissemination of the work and projects that are developed in its facilities. To this end, it will pay special attention to the stratoport project, with the aim that the population of Fuerteventura knows the reasons for its implementation, as well as the opportunity it represents for the diversification of the island's economy, promoting intelligent, innovative and sustainable growth.



On Tuesday and Wednesday, the students of Fuerteventura will visit the facilities of the Technology Park. There they will receive a talk in which the activity that takes place in the Park will be announced. In addition, students will be able to check the progress of the works of the Canarias Stratoport for Haps & UAS, and the ISSEC building.

For its part, next Friday there will be a meeting with businessmen and businesswomen of Fuerteventura, in which the different opportunities offered by the Park and the Stratoport will be presented together. Projects that will turn the island into a technological benchmark at the island, national and international level.

This meeting will receive professionals from Asofuer, the Chamber of Commerce of Fuerteventura and the Association of Entrepreneurs of Puerto del Rosario.

In addition, the meeting will serve to resolve the issues that arise on the part of the business community and thus discuss the proposals of the entrepreneurs and the majoreras businesswomen on the Canarias Stratoport for Haps & UAS.

With these actions, the Technology Park continues with the dissemination work on its activity and on the benefits that the implementation of a new industry will mean for Fuerteventura.

What is Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS

The Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS, co-financed with European funds FEDER 2014-2020, aspires to become the first stratoport in Europe.

This infrastructure, which is located in Fuerteventura, will enable operations of high-altitude pseudo-satellite platforms, better known as HAPS, as well as UAS flights (drones).

Specifically, this infrastructure will carry out both take-off and landing operations of unmanned aerial systems and the development of prototypes and integration of systems and subsystems for flight tests and tests.

The facility's operations area will be composed of several areas, buildings and hangars, occupying an area of 120 hectares.

Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS will allow the implementation of a new industrial sector in the Canary Islands, focused on the aerospace sector, data intelligence, earth observation and telecommunications.

In short, a firm and determined commitment to diversify the economy of the region and promote smart, innovative and sustainable growth for Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands and Europe. A development that seeks to support R + D + i, ICT and increase the competitiveness of companies and the region.

What is Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030?

Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030, www.canarias-geo-innovation.com, and its development projects and actions are co-financed or susceptible to co-financing by the Cabildo de Fuerteventura and the Government of the Canary Islands, directly or with the Canary Islands Development Fund (Fdcan); the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), of the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands; the European Union, through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, España Puede, Next Generation UE or the FEDER program, and by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, among others.

link to article for interesting pic

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

Fuerteventura will launch in 2024 the largest Spanish platform for the operation with unmanned aircraft.

The Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Fuerteventura today advanced the work of the 'Canarias Geo Innovation' programme launched by both administrations for earth observation and communications and which will allow the island to launch in 2024 the largest platform in Spain for the operation with unmanned aircraft.



The president, Fernando Clavijo, said that this project, which "would not have been possible without the leadership of the Fuerteventura Technology Park, places this island and the Canary Islands as the epicentre of innovation and science made in the Canary Islands. We are facing a project that is already a reality this year, which will have a direct impact on economic and social development, on the creation of quality employment, on the retention of the talent we have in the Islands and on the training of future generations with the collaboration of the public universities of the Canary Islands".

The head of the Canarian government pointed out that "this project shows that talent can be established from outermost islands far from the territory, innovation can be established and, above all, it is possible to project into the future". He also pointed to the aerospace sector "as one of the fields that will have the greatest projection" and stressed that the platform for the operation with unmanned aircraft that will come into operation this year "will have a diversity of applications from the point of view of the fight against drug trafficking, immigration, firefighting, analysis and visualization of biodiversity", among others.

According to the president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Lola García, "today we visit what, in the first six months of this year, will become the largest platform in Spain for operations with unmanned aircraft, whose objective is to seek innovative public service solutions such as emergencies, security, the protection of our environment or the fight against climate change. among many others."

"A center that will also serve as a training space for activities related to the aeronautical and space sector, as well as generating investment and putting Fuerteventura in the spotlight of international projects that want to come and develop in these facilities," said García.

Precisely, the CEO of the Fuerteventura Technology Park, Eduardo Pereira, acknowledged that "today we take an important step because we are seeing the works in an advanced state and it is another stage of a project that began 6 years ago and that still has a long way to go, but we are closer to reaching the point of the final point". In this context, he acknowledged that "the work of support and encouragement of public administrations "is key".

The main objective of the innovation program is to create innovative solutions based on the intelligent analysis of data received from sensors on board unmanned or remotely manned aeronautical and aerospace platforms, with the aim of improving public services.

During today's visit to the Fuerteventura Technology Park, which was also attended by the Minister of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture, Migdalia Machín, the Minister of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, Manuel Miranda, the Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, the President of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Lola García, and the Mayor of Puerto del Rosario, David de Vera, the inauguration in the first half of 2024 of the flight operations runway (stratoport), and the new multipurpose building, was confirmed, while the first flights and missions are scheduled for the last quarter of the year.

Operations Track

In the same way, it is expected that the operations runway (Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS) will come into operation in the first half of the year. It is an infrastructure that aims to enable the development, testing and operation of HAPS (high-altitude, long-duration pseudosatellites) as well as unmanned aircraft (UAS), i.e. high-altitude drones with several hours of flight autonomy. The work has a budget in its first phase of 11 million euros.

Multipurpose building

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, also checked the progress of the works of the multipurpose building from which flights will be evaluated and monitored and the control and analysis of the missions will occupy a space of 2,700 meters, it will be inaugurated in June. With an execution budget of 10 million euros, it will have flight control rooms, simulators, training and instruction (Canarias Geo Training Center), mission and data analysis, communications and a laboratory of ideas (Canarias GeoLab).

The building will house the Centre for the Development of Solutions, Emergencies and Biodiversity (ISSEC), which will start this January with a budget of 22 million euros. It is a centre for the creation, development, validation, certification and flight command and control operations of innovative safety, emergency and biodiversity solutions (forest fires, natural parks, marine pollution, public heritage) through Data Analytics based on data obtained from sensors on board unmanned platforms and will carry out collaborations with the Canary Islands Health Service of the Government of the Canary Islands. among others.

Another project that is already underway is "RetechFor", with a budget of 28 million euros. This is a project funded by the Government of Spain and the Government of the Canary Islands, which will be carried out in collaboration with the Junta de Castilla y León, for the search for solutions for the monitoring of forest areas and prevention, early warning and support for fire management through sensors on board manned and unmanned aeronautical platforms.

Among the forecasts for this year are programs that will be carried out with Eurocontrol (coexistence and activity of drones in the airspace reserved for commercial aircraft) or with the General Directorate of the National Police (immigration control in maritime space), among others. The first drone flights and missions are scheduled to take place in the last quarter of 2024.

Canary Islands Geo Innovation Program 2030

'Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030' www.canarias-geo-innovation.com, and its development projects and actions are co-financed by the European Union, through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, España Puede, the Next Generation EU funds and the ERDF 2021-2027 programme, through the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo through the Canary Islands Research Agency, Innovation and Information Society, ACIISI and the Cabildo de Fuerteventura through the Canary Islands Development Fund, FDCAN through its entity Parque Tecnológico de Fuerteventura SA, MP.