The second meeting with interested participants for the Aerial Uptake project due to the COVID-19 situation, was held via the Google meet interface on July 17, 2020. starting at 11 a.m.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the public, civil, academic and economic sectors with whom the results of the regional analysis and analysis at the level of project partners of the conducted survey questionnaire from the beginning of 2020 were discussed. The research was conducted as part of addressing key issues and needs related to the innovation and commercialization of UAS.
The participants were presented with the collected examples of good practice, and the participants were invited to propose new proposals with the aim of gathering as many stakeholders and their UAS experiences as possible.
The meeting discussed the upcoming joint EU UAS regulation, which was supposed to take effect in July this year but was postponed until the end of the year. Obstacles faced by stakeholders working in large systems and working on operations of state interest were discussed, as well as those obstacles encountered by legal entities that are just at the beginning of their business processes. The legal regulatory and competent services in the Republic of Croatia are listed as positive elements and those that do not create problems, while a major problem is visible in the ignorance and unpreparedness of those who are in the initial stages of development of their companies.
Presented their reflections related to the industry of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with the aim of finding solutions for better use of the potential of UAS technologies in economic and commercial use. Participants agreed that the city of Osijek, with its current existing infrastructure and the growing momentum achieved by local companies, could become a potential incubator for UAS implementation by taking a primary place in the region, providing a secure business environment, educated staff and additional training opportunities.
