The Gobierno de Canarias (Canary Islands Regional Government) and the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to strengthen collaboration in research and innovation (R&I) for air traffic management (ATM) including areas such as ATM operations and the integration of drone operations (U-space), higher airspace operations (HAO) and high-altitude platform systems (HAPS) and the development of infrastructure and sandboxes for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and HAPS testing.
“The agreement — the third such cooperation between SESAR JU and a European region — reflects the growing role of regional innovation ecosystems in shaping the Digital European Sky and supporting Europe’s environmental and competitiveness ambitions,” said a SEAR JU press statement.
The MoC also aligns with the Canary Islands Aerospace Strategy, which positions the archipelago as a global benchmark in aerospace research, technological development and experimental validation. “The Canary Islands’ geostrategic location, favourable climate, advanced airport infrastructure and growing R&I ecosystem make the region well suited to act as a testbed for innovative ATM solutions,” says the SESAR JU.
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