We always keep an eye out for our ESA BIC Noordwijk alumni companies. This summer we’ve noticed OPT/NET and AVY both are partaking in a new journey. To realise their projects, they received millions of funding (subsidy) from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
OPT/NET gets into mining
OPT/NET, as part of a consortium consisting of 16 companies throughout Europe, is developing an Artificial Intelligence platform for the comprehensive monitoring of mining sites. The project, called Goldeneye, will be granted with 8.4 million euro.
The project will use all kinds of data to make mining more efficient. A platform will provide actionable insights improving the exploration, extraction and closure of mines.
Think of the use of technologies like earth observation (Copernicus), but also GNSS (Galileo) and EGNOS. OPT/NET is no stranger to using multiple types of (space) data and apply it to all kinds of sectors. It won the Copernicus Masters twice (in 2017 & 2018).
OPT/NET’s involvement in this project will include supplying AI expertise and delivering a public demonstrator for the main project results. The company graduated the ESA BIC Noordwijk program in 2016.
Another win for AVY
AVY also successfully participated in the ESA BIC Noordwijk program and graduated in 2017. The company creates ‘drones for good’ and is doing an amazing job so far.
This year it won the Mobility Award in the Dutch innovation competition Blue Tulip Awards. In 2019 it partnered up in a consortium to deliver medicine by drone in urban areas.
Now, the Horizon2020 subsidy (to be precise, The EIC Accelerator grant) of 1.4 million euro allows the company to expand into Europe.
