Pregled razpisa

Smart airports, airports as multimodal nodes and passenger experience

Kratica razpisa/topic identifier: HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-2
Zanimivo za IJS: neposredno
IJS področje razpisa: fizika, kemija, biokemija, materiali in okolje, jedrska tehnika, avtomatika, informacijske tehnologije

Povezava na razpis: HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-2
Namen razpisa:

Expected Outcome:

To significantly advance the following development actions:

IR-4-07 Smart airports, airports as multimodal nodes and passenger experience.

IR-4-03 Cyber-resilience and cyber-security capabilities enabling the next generation of airport platforms.

Scope:

The following list of R&I needs is proposed as an illustration of the potential project content, but it is not meant as prescriptive. Proposals may include other research elements beyond the proposed research elements below if they are justified by their contribution to achieve the expected outcomes of the topic and are fully aligned with the development priorities defined in the European ATM Master Plan.

Collaborative management at regional airports supported by Centralised Lite airport operations centre (APOC)

The Airport operations centre (APOC) concept was originally developed for large airports during previous SESAR phases, based on a platform/operational structure which collaboratively and pro-actively manages airport operations performance.

Although regional airports do not generally experience operational constraints in such scale as those occurring at large ones, they do experience issues which underperform their operations. The lack of communication and information shared amongst the stakeholders causes unforeseen deterioration of the airport performance with potential knock-on effect onto the ATM network.

The research area aims at developing a Centralised Lite APOC, aiming at the improvement of inbound, turnaround and outbound predictability based on enhanced local collaborative environment and connectivity with ATM network. The approach is simple, cost-efficient, algorithm-oriented and focusses on use of NM digital services provided to airports. Airport and network information is exchanged thereby forming the basis for improved situational awareness whilst supporting pre-tactical and tactical decision-making. Research shall consider the work performed under solution PJ.04-W2-28.2 “Collaborative management at regional airports supported by Centralised Lite APOC”. Note that there is on-going work by projects RACINE and PEACOCK.

AOP and performance monitoring for a group of airports

This research element addresses the development of a single AOP to address the needs of a group of airports with similar operational needs that are too small to have their own AOP. This AOP combines information from each individual airports to meet collaboratively agreed joint targets for the group of airports, but taking into consideration individual airport needs and situation. The coordination among airports should always align and never compete with the overall airport-network view. Research also addresses the collaborative process for the definition of performance targets agreed for any set of airports that decide to gather under such a common AOP. The wider neighbouring community will participate in this process. The benefit of joint target setting will be the ability to set more challenging targets for a group of airports than would be possible for a single airport, thus providing improved service to the airspace users over a range of KPA. The overall performance of the group of airports will be monitored against the shared performance targets. The performance of one single airport or the group of airports will be provided, suitably filtered to all the stakeholders (wide access to airport performance). When a group of airports (too small to have their own AOP) with similar operational needs have decided to gather under a single AOP, there is a need to set and monitor the performance targets to further enable performance optimisation.

Airport integration into the user-driven prioritisation process (UDPP)

The research element covers the integration of UDPP with airport driven local DCB process to support airports, airspace users, NM and ANSPs to anticipate, understand and manage arrivals related disruptive events at airports level in planning phase, aiming at reducing impact and knock-on effects. The potential benefits include a better management of disruptions speeding up of the recovery to normal operations. Research may include the allocation of target times for arrival flights (TTA) combined with the user driven prioritization process (UDPP) into the overall reconciliation process, also in case of multiple constraints. The reconciliation of the arrival constraints resolution between the network management function and the airport/AUs is addressed through the following:

Detection, analysis and coordination of the local demand/capacity imbalances during the pre-flight phase: APOC and AUs coordinate a resolution process supported by integrated tools.

NM Network impact assessment and application of local DCB (APOC) management proposals during the pre-flight phase (pre-tactical and tactical from ATFM perspective). The progressive integration of AOP and NOP between NM and Airport, will be used when available in NM data.

Integrating actively to the current mechanism of providing target times of arrival (TTAs) by ATM/Airport stakeholders, the AUs flights constraint through UDPP flights prioritisations.

Research shall consider the work performed by SESAR 2020 SESAR solutions PJ.07-02 and PJ.07-W2-39. Note that on-going work on the evolution of evolution of UDPP concept is performed by HARMONIC project (i.e., on regional constraint reconciliation and network constraint reconciliation).

Airport environmental performance management

Management of airport operations often necessitates a trade-off between different performance criteria (e.g., flight delay, environmental sustainability, resource availability, etc.). Research is focused on airport environmental performance management with the aim of integrating environmental considerations into the overall airport operations management process, bringing the question of environmental performance into the decision-making process.

Research includes the development of airport performance dashboard / cockpit to ensure an appropriate airport environmental performance monitoring. The introduction of an environmental dashboard in the airport operations plan (AOP) supports monitoring the airport environmental performance from the mid-term/short-term planning phase (D-1) thus improving collaborative decision-making process in the APOC. This dashboard should consider a series of environmental indicators in the daily operation of an airport in the execution phase, triggering and influencing operational decisions. The environmental indicators comprise those used in the performance plans but could also include additional local indicators if needed. The monitoring of the airport environmental performance can trigger the implementation of potential solutions to reduce the airport impact on noise and emissions at and near the airport. Research shall consider the work performed by SESAR solution PJ.04-W2-29.3 “environmental performance management”.

Smart airports

Smart airports, with landside and groundside fully integrated into the ATM network, will be based around connectivity and other technologies to improve operations and the passenger experience. Research objectives include:

The integration of airport and network planning and the timely exchange of surface transport network, airport and ATM network information will bring common situational awareness and improved mobility planning activities, notably arrival and departure predictability for both airports and the network. Research may also address the integration of vertiports into airport operations and surface transport network.

Information-sharing and collaborative decision making will allow the inclusion of outputs from landside processes (passenger and baggage) to be used to improve the accuracy and predictability of airside operations.

Business intelligence and machine learning will help airport stakeholders collaborate to align process and resource capacity with predicted demand in both planning phase (allocation of resources) and execution phase (dynamic adjustment of the plan based on anticipated impact on punctuality of flights and passenger experience).

As future solutions will be virtualized and distributed, smart airports should leverage the collaboration power also to enhance the cybersecurity posture to prevent, protect and increase the cyber-resilience from attacks to the infrastructure.

Adoption of novel passenger processing solutions able to offer a seamless passenger experience within and among airports.

Considering ATM to be an integrated part of an intermodal transport system, research may include the development of potential solutions to share data between transport modes (e.g., ATM – rail) and to better collaborate to optimise the performance of both the overall transport system and the door-to-door journey. This includes the development of an integrated transport network performance cockpit and the definition of an integrated transport network crisis management process. Note that there is on-going work under project Travel-Wise on these topics.

Drivers for this are the digital evolution of integrated surface movement, multimodal airport collaborative decision-making and flow optimisation, next-generation arrival manager in a TBO context, and enhanced integration between airspace users trajectory management processes and ATM Network Manager processes.

Integration of IFR RPAS in airport and CTR operations

Research addresses the development of solutions for a safe and efficient integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in controlled airspace into the existing air traffic control (ATC) procedures and infrastructures within airports under instrument flight rules (IFR), which are dominated by crewed aviation. To the maximum extent possible, RPAS will have to comply with the existing rules and regulations. The solution includes the identification of specific requirements of remotely piloted operations compared to the crewed operations, and the development (if needed) of technological enablers that could be required for their integration in the airport environment. The scope covers the following aspects:

Surface operations by IFR RPAS at different type of airports including required coordination for IFR RPAS by using dedicated airport scenarios. Research covers the assessment of the impact on airport capacity and on the efficiency of airport operations.

Integration into the tower ATC systems of additional IFR RPAS information, such as latency details on voice and C2 link, and usage of a voice communication back-up line.

Detail handover processes between several ground station operators, potentially in a real flight trial using an IFR RPAS demonstrator and investigate handover contingency procedures (e.g., lost C2 link, or pending ATC instructions). It also includes higher automation in C2 link failure conditions in the airport environment.

Investigate context-sensitive display of contingency procedures and the reception by tower ATC and RPAS pilots at the respective working positions. The research element includes the consideration of crewed aircraft pilots in the validation of contingency procedures for awareness purposes.

Develop requirements and architectures for direct communication between ATC and the remote pilot, avoiding relaying voice and data through the RPAS vehicle, while maintaining shared situational awareness with other airport users.

Integration of IFR RPAS in airspace class D and E controlled from an integrated TMA/CTR -TWR ATSU.

The use of sustainable taxi technologies in the taxi phase and/or the development of on-board and remote pilot station technologies to allow autonomous taxi.

The research shall consider the results obtained in solution PJ.03a-09 “surface operations by RPAS” and project INVIRCAT. Note there is ongoing work for the accommodation of IFR RPAS in airspace D and E in project IRINA.

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions:

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

This call is subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

are described in subsection 2.5 of the BAWP 2024-2025

Weighting per criteria in additions to the general award criteria:

Excellence: 40%

Impact: 40%

Implementation: 20%

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The evaluation committee may be composed partially of representatives of EU institutions and agencies (internal experts).

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

The following exceptions apply.

1) A funding rate of 70% applies to all beneficiaries (regardless of their legal status).

2) Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programmefor Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under theResearch and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025).

3) Beneficiaries will be subject to the following additional dissemination obligations:

beneficiaries must make proactive efforts to share, on a royalty-freebasis, in a timely manner and as appropriate, all relevant results with the other grants awarded under the same call;

beneficiaries must acknowledge these obligations and incorporate them into the proposal, outlining the efforts they will make to meet them, and into Annex I to the grant agreement.

4) Beneficiaries will be subject to the following additional exploitation obligations:

For the purpose of complying with the objectives set in Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, the SRIA and the European ATM Master Plan,

beneficiaries must make available for reuse under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions all relevant results generated, through a well-defined mechanism using a trusted repository;

if the purpose of the specific identified measures to exploit the results of the action is related to standardisation, beneficiaries must grant a non-exclusive licence to the results royalty-free;

if working on linked actions, beneficiaries must ensure mutual access to the background to and to the results of ongoing and closed linked actions, should this be necessary to implement tasks under the linked actions or to exploit results generated by the linked actions as defined in the conditions laid down in the biannual work programme and in the call for proposals.

Beneficiaries must acknowledge these obligations and incorporate them into the proposal, outlining the efforts they will make to meet them, and into Annex I to the grant agreement.

5) Grants awarded under this topic will be linked to the following actions:

Call HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01

Call HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-ER-01

A collaboration agreement is required.

The integration of a gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) into R&I content is not a mandatory requirement.

The maximum project duration is 36 months.

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.

A legal entity means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.

Datum odprtja prijav: 01/04/2025
Rok za prijavo: 16/09/2025
Komentar:: 16 September 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Program financiranja: EU Horizon
Vir/steber financiranja:
Funding mechanisms/Prednostna naložba:
Vrednost razpisa: 6 000 000 EUR
Kontaktna e-pošta: andreja.umek-venturini@gov.si

Vpis v bazo CTT:MarijanLeban dne 2025-01-24 10:46:30.130838

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