UDENE Tools Integration in Geodata Science Education

The UDENE Tools Integration in Geodata Science Education opportunity is a Horizon Europe initiative under the Copernicus program aimed at enhancing vocational training in geodata science across specific partner countries. This initiative is designed to incorporate UDENE tools into educational curricula, targeting applicants from Türkiye, Serbia, and Tunisia. The opportunity offers financial support in the form of a grant.

Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, local authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), associations, education and training organizations, research institutions, individuals, and teams. A single applicant is required for this opportunity as consortia are not permitted. The grant does not mandate co-funding from applicants.

The funding type is a lump sum grant of €10,000 awarded for successful completion of educational plans, with a total budget of €60,000 available for six winners (two per eligible country). Project development includes creating educational materials like curriculum designs, competency-based assignments, and case studies focused on urban development challenges.

The call emphasizes integration of Copernicus Earth Observation data to enhance geodata science education. The application process consists of two stages: an initial screening for eligibility followed by a quality assessment of proposals.

The application deadline is August 16, 2025, with plans expected to meet educational standards, and final reports due by December 15, 2025. The desired outcomes are to foster skills development in geodata science, demonstrating the practical applications of Copernicus services in urban planning and decision-making.

The program aims to amplify the skilled user base of geospatial technologies and enhance evidence-based urban planning in Türkiye, Serbia, and Tunisia. Regular webinars, FAQ updates, and additional resources will be available to assist applicants during the process.

The UDENE Project, a Research and Innovation Action funded by EUSPA under the Horizon Europe Programme, is launching an open call to expand the skilled practitioners of Geodata Science in Copernicus International Partner countries. The project leverages Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data to discover occurrences of urban development interventions intended for an Area of Interest (AoI) elsewhere in the world, which are similar to the AoI in terms of causally related properties to the intended outcome of the intervention. Existing use cases target the effect of green spaces on urban heat islands, the effect of transportation infrastructure on air quality, and the effect of the built environment on earthquake resilience. By integrating EO data, machine learning, and advanced causal modelling, UDENE provides robust tools enabling evidence-based urban planning and decision-making. The project supports international collaboration, promoting the uptake of Copernicus services through validation of practical urban development solutions across Copernicus International partner countries such as Serbia, Tunisia, and Türkiye.

The purpose of this call is to expand the skilled practitioners of Geodata Science in Copernicus International Partner countries by using UDENE open-source tools as a practice platform in vocational courses.

The call specific objectives are:

1.  To expand the skilled user base of Copernicus Earth Observation System.

2.  To demonstrate the value of geodata science in public services for maximizing societal impact.

3.  To enable hands on training by embedding UDENE tools into educational curricula and training programs.

The expected outcomes, applicable to all Copernicus International Partner countries, are that grant receivers deliver an educational plan with the following components:

1.  Curriculum design for geodata science as an applied discipline.

2.  Educational modules or course content integrating UDENE tools into practical geodata science curricula, ready to be adopted by vocational and higher educational institutions and/or training programs.

3.  Demonstrative case studies suitable for the intended skill levels showcasing the use of UDENE tools and Copernicus products in solving specific urban development challenges relevant to the partner countries.

Interested parties can use the guidelines available at the UDENE website Open Calls page to prepare proposals. Winners will be compensated to use the UDENE tools in October-November to implement their proposed workplans.

There will be two winners per call per country, each receiving 10,000€ lump sum funding upon completing their educational plans. The total funding available is 60,000€.

The evaluation process is a two-stage process:

Stage 1: The Screening Procedure for Eligibility and Feasibility Checklist. Eligible applicants include SMEs, start-ups, Local authorities, NGOs, Associations, Education and Training Organizations, Research Performing Institutions, individuals, and teams of individuals, based in one of the target countries and as defined in Horizon Europe rules for participation. Only single applicants are eligible (no consortia). The proposed work should be reasonably feasible within the available time frame, given the functionalities of the UDENE tools as shown in the UDENE Practical Guidelines.

Stage 2: The Quality Assessment Procedure, based on the following criteria:

1.  Concept and Contemporaneity: Progressiveness and feasibility of the proposed courses and their learning outcomes; The design of the curriculum including prototype syllabus as well as inclusivity issues; Level of performance challenges demanded.

2.  Impact: Economic and societal impact; European dimension, cross-sector/-border scalability; Offering as open courseware or not.

3.  Applicant expertise: Capacity to perform the task; Knowledge and technological expertise in learning design; Financial viability/stability; Allocation and justification of resources.

Eligible organizations or individuals should be established in Türkiye, Serbia, or Tunisia. Additional eligibility criteria can be found in the Call documentation. All eligible applicants and partners must respect the fundamental rights and values, as well as HE IPR regulations on which the EU is founded.

The opening date for submissions is 18 June 2025. The deadline for submissions is 16 August 2025 at 21:00 (Brussels time). The deadline model is single-stage. The expected duration of participation is 60 days.

The project acronym is UDENE. The full name of the EU funded project is Urban Development Explorations using Natural Experiments. The grant agreement number is 101131190. The topic is HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE-02-56 - Designing space-based downstream applications with international partners.

More information about the UDENE Project can be found at https://udene.eu/. More information about UDENE FSTP Open Calls can be found at https://udene.eu/open-fstp-calls/. The UDENE Help Desk email address is info@udene.eu. The LinkedIn page is https://www.linkedin.com/company/udene_project/. The Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/people/UDENE/61556171654905/.

Online Webinars will be held on: 9th July 2025 for Serbia; 10th July 2025 for Tunisia; and 28th July 2025 for Türkiye. The submission link and the links to the webinars will be provided at https://udene.eu/open-fstp-calls/. Regular weekly FAQ updates will be accessible on sub-web pages.

Applications for the UDENE Open Call must be done in English. Applicants will need to sign a Declaration of Honour, an Ethics, Intellectual Property and Security Declaration, and an SME Declaration if the applicant is an SME.

At least 2 person-months of work must be committed during the October-November 2025 timeframe, with the final report delivered by 15th December at the latest.

The output of this work will be an educational plan that describes the implementation of a vocational geodata science skills development course enabled by the Copernicus system as used in UDENE tools.

If the subgrantees introduce new data sets to be used in the course assignment that involve UDENE, then they will need to report the data, its use, behaviour of the tools, and learning outcomes. A complete feasibility report is expected to meet Erasmus Quality Standards for educational programmes, and it includes:

1.  Learning Outcomes in terms of acquired skills and competencies in geodata science.

2.  A curriculum of lesson plans that is equivalent to 3 ECTS credits (75-90 hours of study). This curriculum must emphasize the application of EO data, Copernicus products, and specifically incorporate the UDENE tools into teaching methodologies.

3.  A list of competency development assignments and corresponding performance assessments that involve practicing with UDENE tools. The assignments are expected to consume at least half of the study time.

4.  At least 3 Demonstrative Case Studies that the course material would align with, covering preferably urban development challenges that could be addressed by Copernicus EO solutions. They should be clearly structured, showing the process from problem identification, data integration, analysis, and ultimately proposing solutions or interventions supported by empirical evidence derived using the UDENE tools.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for proposals from entities in Serbia, Tunisia, and Türkiye to develop educational plans that integrate UDENE tools and Copernicus Earth Observation data into vocational geodata science courses. The goal is to expand the skilled user base of Copernicus, demonstrate the value of geodata science in public services, and enable hands-on training. Selected applicants will receive 10,000€ to implement their plans, which should include curriculum design, educational modules, and demonstrative case studies. The project aims to promote evidence-based urban planning and decision-making by leveraging Earth Observation data, machine learning, and advanced causal modelling. The focus is on using UDENE's open-source tools to address urban development challenges and validate practical solutions in the partner countries. The call seeks to enhance geodata science skills and promote the uptake of Copernicus services in the region.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types for this opportunity are SMEs, start-ups, local authorities, NGOs, associations, education and training organizations, research performing institutions, individuals, and teams of individuals. These applicants must be based in one of the target countries and as defined in Horizon Europe rules for participation. Single applicants are eligible, and consortia are not.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically cascade funding. Winners will receive a lump sum payment upon completion of their educational plans.

Consortium Requirement: A single applicant is required. Consortia are not eligible for this opportunity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is limited to organizations or individuals established in Türkiye, Serbia, or Tunisia. These are Copernicus International Partner countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is geodata science education, with a focus on urban development challenges and the application of Copernicus Earth Observation data and tools. It also touches on space-based downstream applications.

Mentioned Countries: The countries explicitly mentioned are Serbia, Tunisia, and Türkiye.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on development and validation, specifically integrating existing UDENE tools into educational curricula and training programs. The expected outcome is the creation of educational plans and demonstrative case studies.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is €10,000 per winner. There will be two winners per call per country, making the total funding available €60,000 (€10,000 x 2 winners x 3 countries).

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process consists of two stages: a screening procedure for eligibility and feasibility, and a quality assessment procedure.

Success Rates: Since there are two winners per country, the success rate depends on the number of applications received per country. If there are a low number of applications, the success rate could be high, but if there are a high number of applications, the success rate could be low. Therefore, the success rate is variable.

Co-funding Requirement: The information provided does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the UDENE Project, a Research and Innovation Action funded by EUSPA under the Horizon Europe Programme. The call aims to expand the skilled user base of Copernicus Earth Observation System and demonstrate the value of geodata science in public services by integrating UDENE open-source tools into vocational courses. The project leverages Copernicus Earth Observation data to discover occurrences of urban development interventions and provides tools for evidence-based urban planning and decision-making.

The call is specifically targeted at SMEs, start-ups, local authorities, NGOs, associations, education and training organizations, research performing institutions, individuals, and teams of individuals based in Türkiye, Serbia, or Tunisia. The selected applicants will receive €10,000 to develop an educational plan that includes curriculum design, educational modules integrating UDENE tools, and demonstrative case studies showcasing the use of UDENE tools and Copernicus products in solving urban development challenges.

The application process involves a two-stage evaluation: an eligibility and feasibility check, followed by a quality assessment based on concept, impact, and applicant expertise. The deadline for submissions is August 16, 2025. The project expects at least 2 person-months of work during October-November 2025, with a final report due by December 15th. The educational plan should meet Erasmus Quality Standards and include learning outcomes, a curriculum equivalent to 3 ECTS credits, competency development assignments, and at least 3 demonstrative case studies.

The UDENE project is focused on using Earth Observation data, machine learning, and advanced causal modelling to provide tools for urban planning and decision-making. The project supports international collaboration and promotes the uptake of Copernicus services. The call aims to integrate these tools into educational curricula to train skilled practitioners in geodata science.