The first meeting of the Croatian Stakeholders Group for the Aerial Uptake Project was held in the offices of Department for EU programmes, City of Osijek on 13th January 2020.
Aim of the meeting
The meeting was attended by representatives of the public, civil, academic and economic sectors who presented their thoughts on the unmanned aerial system (UAS) with the aim to finding solutions to maximize the potential of UAS technologies in economic and commercial use. The aim of the group is to express the current problems of the technologies, aiming to create a positive business and research environment for the application of UAS technologies in the forthcoming period. With its current infrastructure and growing momentum, local businesses can become a potential incubator for implementing UAS by taking on a primary position in the region while providing a secure business environment, educated staff and additional training opportunities.
The purpose
The purpose of the conversation was to indicate and point out success factors and weaknesses of local existing policies and services addressed to UAS technologies. Stakeholders agree that the wide service offer in the area is a mayor strength for the future.
The stakeholders discussed the need to improve the implementation of regional development policies and programmes, as well as programmes for investment for growth and jobs in particular and where relevant, programmes that support the delivery of innovation by enterpreneurs in regional innovation chains in areas of "smart specialisation" and innovation opportunity. Several relevant ideas were presented and they will serve as a kick off to focus the project activities for the next stages, leading to the culmination in the action plan.
