The EO4GEO project is happy to announce that the long-awaited final event of the project – the conference “Shaping the EO*GI skills of the future” –  will take place on the 17^th and 18^th of May as a hybrid event online and in Brussels.

The event will bring together a broad and diverse range of stakeholders in the field of EO*GI including European institutions (the European Commission, EUSPA, ESA, as well as local and regional ones), with representatives of the private sector and academia and training providers, who will discuss together the current needs and education gaps in the EO*GI sector, what means are put in place to tackle it, and what additional steps and initiatives shall be further undertaken.

The conference will also showcase the work done under EO4GEO and define how the Blueprint project will transition into post-project legacy led by the EO4GEO skills Alliance aimed at supporting skills building in the sector. The impact of bridging the skills gap will contribute towards forming a workforce capable to support and implement numerous policies such as the European Green Deal and the monitoring of the UN’s SGDs.

To learn more about EO4GEO’s mission to bridge the skills gap in the space/geospatial sector and for additional context on the discussion, please consult the EO4GEO Sector Skills Strategy report, which defines specific actional objectives on the way forward.

The Conference “Shaping the EO*GI skills of the future” is an associated event of the European Vocational Skills Week 2022 organised by DG Employment of the European Commission.

Event Agenda

DAY 1: 17th May 2022 (Tuesday) (10.00 – 16.00 CEST)

Morning session: EO4GEO Sector Skills Alliance: way forward (10.00-12.00 CEST) – Interactive and open with invited stakeholders

• 10:00 – 10:10 / Welcoming statement – Vytaute Ezerskiene, Project Officer, EACEA
• 10:10 – 10:30 / Lessons learnt from the EO4GEO Alliance and the steps forward – Danny Vandenbroucke, EO4GEO scientific coordinator, KU Leuven
• 10:30 – 11:00 / Uptake of EO4GEO results and open discussion on the way forward
• 11:00 – 11:15 / COFFEE BREAK
• 11:15 – 11:30 / Wrap-up of open discussion on the way forward
• 11:30 – 12:00 / Panel discussion and closing remarks  – Moderator: Danny Vandenbroucke
• 12:00 – 13:00 / LUNCH BREAK

Afternoon session: Need for new EO*GI skills (13.00-16.00 CEST) 

• 13:00 – 13:15  / Opening statement – Julie Fionda – Deputy Head of Unit, Skills and Qualifications, DG Employment, European Commission

I. Policy context

• 13:15 – 13:30 / Skills supporting the growth of the space ecosystem – Maria Vittoria D’Inzeo – Policy Officer, DG DEFIS, European Commission
• 13:30 – 13:45 / Green skills to support Europe’s green transition – Solveig Zophoniasdottir – Learning Services Lead, EIT Climate-KIC

II. Initiatives and activities addressing EO*GI skills building

• 13:45 – 14:00 / ESA skills-building and educational activities on Earth Observation – Natacha Callens, ESA Academy Administrator, European Space Agency
• 14:00 – 14:15 / Market needs influencing the EO*GI skills of the future – Chiara Solimini, Space Downstream Market Officer – European Union Agency for the Space Programme
• 14:15 – 14:30 / EO needs for monitoring of land policies – Rene Colditz, Policy Officer at DG CLIMATE ACTION, European Commission
• 14:30 – 14:45 / EO*GI skills building in international context – Robert Eckardt – Project Coordinator ‘EO College & EO Connect’, Friedrich Schiller University Jena; EOTEC DevNet
• 14:45 – 15:10 / COFFEE BREAK

III. EO4GEO addressing the EO*GI skills gap

• 15:10 – 15:30 / EO4GEO: addressing the skills gap in the EO*GI sector – Danny Vandenbroucke – EO4GEO scientific coordinator, KU Leuven
• 15:30 – 15:45 / Testimonials session on the use of EO4GEO tools – Eugenia Sarafova – Senior Assistant Professor, Sofia University & Juan José Sáenz de la Torre – Head of Communications, Predictia
• 15:45 – 16:00 / Closing remarks

Day 2: 18th May 2022 (9:00 – 12:40 CEST)

Morning session: Recognising and addressing skills gaps in the EO*GI sector (9.00-12.40 CEST)

• 9:00 – 9:20 / A welcome note and introduction to the EO4GEO Alliance and its role in EO*GI skills building – Milva Carbonaro, EO4GEO project coordinator, GISIG
• 9:20 – 9:40 / Skills development demands in the private EO*GI sector – Babs Dumont – HR Director, Geographic Information Management NV
• 9:40 – 10:00 / Skills development demands in the public EO*GI sector – Ingrid Vanden Berge – General manager, National Geographic Institute of Belgium
• 10:00 – 10:20 / Need for EO*GI skills in local and regional governments – Francisco Wallenstein – Chairman of the Board of Directors RAEGE Azores Association
• 10:20 – 10:40 / Citizen science in the EO*GI sector– Linda See – Senior Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
• 10:40 – 11:00 / COFFEE BREAK
• 11:00 – 11:20 / The need for EO*GI skills development in Central America – Jorge Cabrera – Advisor SG, The Central American Integration System
• 11.20 – 11.40 / A new look at IoT: the Interrelationships of Things in the EO*GI sector – Anna Spiteri – Managing Director, Integrated Resources Management Co.Ltd.
• 11:45 – 12:30 / PANEL DISCUSSION – Identifying and addressing skills gaps in the domain of EO*GI
• 12:30 – 12:40 / Closing remarks