Overview
The BEWARE project has set a mission to increase the participation of the aeronautical organisations in Framework Programme which are not yet involved at the level of the size of their respective aeronautics sector. The general objective of the BEWARE project is to support potential coordinators and potential partners in future R&D projects in the field of Aeronautics and Air Transport of Horizon 2020 in identifying innovation opportunities and building international teams and consortia.
In order to achieve this objective and to create significant impact, the BEWARE project will map aeronautical competences in at least ten aerospace regions in Europe; organise three workshops and three plant and factory tours to meet top-level contractors in European aerospace industry, creates an Aerospace Springboard in Eastern European countries; will structure at least one innovation chain based on Key Enabling Technologies and identifies at least five potential project consortia in aeronautics through an extension of the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership.
The BEWARE consortium connects leading aerospace clusters and support organisations in Western Europe (France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and Italy) with quickly evolving aerospace clusters and strongholds in Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Baltic States). Thus, the BEWARE project creates the necessary conditions for utilising the existing and emerging potential in the field of Aeronautics and Air Transport for a continuous and sustainable contribution in European aerospace programmes and projects.
To achieve maximum results and extend the duration of expected impacts, the BEWARE project strives towards an ideal state, where an evolvement of new partnerships between aerospace actors from Eastern and Western European countries will not depend on additional EU financing as a main prerequisite to start their collaborative projects in the field of Aeronautics and Air Transport.
Funding
Results
Western and Eastern Europe partner up for aeronautics research
Eastern Europe has been underrepresented in trans-continental aerospace collaborations. Relative success rates have been comparable to Western counterparts however, and there is great potential for growth.
The http://beaware-aero.eu/ (BEAWARE) (Bridging East West for aerospace research) project's mission was to increase the participation of Eastern European regions in pan-European research activities through Horizon 2020 in the field of aeronautics and air transport.
BEAWARE mapped regional capacity to identify the potential R&D project coordinators and partners from Eastern European countries. The competencies of 296 organisations involved with aeronautical research in 11 aerospace regions (including nearly 250 from Eastern Europe) were surveyed.
Familiarity and trust were fostered between industry and academia, in both Eastern and Western European countries via workshops, over 300 B2B meetings and seven factory tours. Regions and industries in the new European Member States were given the opportunity to present their capabilities to their peers across Europe.
BEAWARE identified 20 small and medium-sized enterprises in the target regions with a high potential to integrate into the innovation chains of existing original equipment manufacturers. Ten new project consortiums (50 % coordinated by an Eastern actor) and one project funded by the European Commission were identified.
The mapping database contains public information about key technologies, skills and competencies, as well as recent innovations of the respondents from the target regions. The information has been made available to the BEAWARE partners from the leading Western aerospace clusters (Aerospace Valley, Pole Pegase, and Hamburg Aviation) and the database effectively serves as a tool for partner search.
The feedback forms of the BEAWARE events confirmed a high level of satisfaction of the attending companies and research organisations with the workshops and B2B sessions. The project also contributed to the development of regional supply and innovation chains in Eastern Europe.