In the context of the Europe 2020 energy targets and the increasingly competitive market for renewable energies, this one-day conference was the opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about innovative and operational satellite applications for the estimation of the energy potential of renewable sources (sun, wind, biomass, water), the optimisation of supply chains and the remote monitoring of energy production plants. Entrepreneurs experienced in the use of satellite applications shared their good practice examples, and participants could network with providers of satellite solutions, policy makers and SME representatives.

On 31 May 2012, Eurisy contributed to the SME matchmaking event “Renewable Energies” in Güssing, Austria, organised by the Enterprise Europe network, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce WKÖ and the Europaforum Burgenland.

The event brought together 150 participants from all over Europe and neighbouring countries, representing SMEs active in the renewable energy sector, consultants to SMEs, and local and regional policy makers. The event aimed to connect SMEs with each other and with institutions offering financial and organisational support, in order to develop project ideas, identify areas of cooperation and foster SMEs’ innovation potential.

Over 150 entrepreneurs and policy-makers gathered at this successful conference to learn more about the concrete benefits of using satellite information and services to inform decisions and manage businesses, and the positive impact they have on SMEs’ growth and competitiveness.

Pioneering SMEs in the use of satellite-derived information and satellite applications in their business activities shared their feedback on the economic challenges they faced in agriculture, construction, renewable energy production, manufacturing and tourism and how innovative solutions enabled them to make their business processes more efficient, to take better informed management decisions or to tap into new markets.

Eurisy participated in the European Twowheel Retailers' Association Annual Seminar in the framework of the global annual bicycle trade show Eurobike held in Friedrichshafen, Germany on 3 September 2011.

Several concrete examples of how business and local authorities use satellite applications to promote cycling in sustainable transport and tourism provided food for thought and ideas for innovation to an audience of bicycle retailers and manufacturers.

Eurisy was invited to contribute to a conference organised by CAPIGI, the Community on Agricultural Policy Implementation and Geo-Information, which took place  in Amsterdam, from 4 to 6 April 2011.

CAPIGI brings together farmers and their representatives, governments, industry and research to discuss the impact of geo-information in implementing agricultural policy. The Conference presented a state-of-the-art overview on innovations and research in geo-information sciences. These emerging technologies were illustrated with practice experiences in agricultural policy implementation.

Satellite technology offers some of the most advanced applications in the field of agriculture, helping farmers monitor crops, ration water and fertilisers without diminishing yield. GPS and remote sensing applications are widely used in guiding machinery and providing information necessary to make farming more sustainable and profitable.

Eurisy introduced several good practice examples, with a focus on implementation models and governance of the various services in use, as they have been introduced in communities of farmers, whether by local government or by cooperatives.

Eurisy’s SMEs Support Initiative was inaugurated by a high-level conference in Rome. The event gathered representatives of user-SME associations, of the space community, as well as European and national policy makers, with the objective of consolidating political support for an increased access of SMEs to satellite information and services, in order to stimulate SME competitiveness in sectors such as transport, building, utilities, energy, and others.

The Working Breakfast in the European Parliament which was co-organised by the SME Union of the EPP and Eurisy dealt with the subject of “Boosting the Competitiveness of European SMEs – The Benefits of Satellite Information and Services”.