Portugal supports the internationalization of European SME working with Copernicus

[UPDATE:  THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 4, 23H59 GMT]

After the success of the first call for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to which companies from seven European countries submitted proposals, the Portuguese Space Agency – Portugal Space together with the AIR Centre is opening the second out of four calls to promote the internationalization of European SMEs developing Copernicus-based products.  

This second call targets European SMEs that use Copernicus and are looking to expand their business to Brazil. A total of 10 SMEs will be selected to participate in a presential event in Rio de Janeiro that will take place on the 29th and 30th of March 2022. The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Anprotec are the local partners for this event.  

Participation in this initiative will provide unique networking possibilities to European SMEs, allowing them to gain visibility and expand their business to the largest South American country whilst fostering the uptake of Copernicus data by Brazilian entities. 

Furthermore, this event will happen along with a major Eureka event organized by the AIR Centre in Rio de Janeiro as part of the Portuguese Chairmanship of the world’s biggest network for cooperation in R&D. 

Supporting this internationalization, Portugal Space and AIR Centre are also contributing so that Africa and South America can take advantage of the countless possibilities offered by Copernicus. Furthermore, satellite images and products generated by the program enable value-added services that positively impact several sectors, like agriculture, forestry, resource optimization, or infrastructure management.    

Ghana and Nigeria will be the following FPCUP action events destinations in 2022. In these countries, European companies — to be selected from future tenders — will have an exceptional network opportunity that aims to boost their visibility in international markets, leading to the expansion of activity.    

In the first call, which provided promotion and internationalization opportunities in South Africa, 11 companies were selected by the jury, composed by Portugal Space, AIR Centre, EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme) and the South African ZASpace. The companies will participate in the event EUREKA meets the Atlantic, that will take place on the 21st and 22nd of February and it will happen in a hybrid format. 

Do not miss this unique opportunity. Submit your application here! 

The deadline to participate in this Call for the Internationalization of SMEs in Brazil is the 4th of February at 23h59 GMT. (The initial deadline of 28 February has been extended, as announced on this page on the same date).

For further details, read the Guide of Participants. 

The FPCUP project is financed by the European Commission under the FPA no.: 275/G/GRO/COPE/17/10042