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Coordinated by  
Framework Partnership Agreement on Copernicus User Uptake (FPCUP)Framework Partnership Agreement on Copernicus User Uptake (FPCUP)

Copernicus Uptake in Portuguese Higher Education (Universities and Polytechnical Institutes)

Point of contact
Mx Carolina Sá
Portugal Space Agency - Portugal Space
+351 217231017
1649-018 Lisbon
Phone: +351 217231017
URL: www.ptspace.pt

Implementing Partner: AD AIR Centre, DGT, PT Space
Implementing Country: Portugal Primary Topic: Copernicus Data, Copernicus User Needs Primary Target Users: Research Sector, Schools Primary Target Region: Europe Europe: Portugal Type of Action: National and multi-national information/training events
Action No.: 2021-1-7
Duration: Last Update:



A survey ran at national level in 2020 highlighted that half of the inquiries (50%) did not know much about Copernicus or had never heard about the programme. An effort to increase awareness and training across all sectors is therefore needed, with the present action focusing on the higher education sector – which feeds in the medium-term all the other areas of activity. This action will complement the national user strategy plan which includes also other activities such as summer schools and funding opportunities for PhD studies in Earth Observation. For an effective uptake at higher education level, the activities will include not only awareness events but promote training sessions to allow students to be able use the Copernicus data and services, or even go further and be able to develop new applications and eventually create their own jobs. This action includes the development of a MOOC in Portuguese composed of a series of educational modules, presenting the Copernicus Programme, the different services available and applications that can arise from the (free) data it provides, targeting different specific examples relevant for the European scenario, while focusing mainly on Portugal. A series of transversal interactive workshops for students from different fields (e.g. engineering, environmental sciences, biology, business and others) to share knowledge and ideas on the potential of Earth Observation and Copernicus in particular; and a Final (business oriented) challenge for higher education students, strongly multi-disciplinary and, thus, implying that students interact and team up with colleagues from different fields (e.g. engineering, environmental sciences, marine sciences, computing science, business, etc.) to solve a problem within a thematic scope that is posed to them making use of Copernicus. The final prize can include an interaction with the regional start-up incubators to help develop the winning project(s).

Output and results

  • 1 report mapping the use of Copernicus data in different Higher Education degrees and identification of main gaps.
  • Increase and promote the National Copernicus Academy network.
  • MOOC (in Portuguese) including concrete examples from different sectors, to provide training for students with different backgrounds.
  • 2 Workshops linking students to each other and to professionals from industry and academia to present and discuss Copernicus day-to-day life applications.
  • 1 Final Challenge for application ideas
  • At least 5 high education institutions to make the MOOC available as a resource to its students and professors, in order to ease the inclusion of the MOOC in the discipline’s curricula and guarantee the long-term impact of this activity.
  • The material developed for this action, namely the MOOC, will also allow to inform and train Public Administration about the Copernicus Programme data applications, extending the awareness and user uptake to the public sector.