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RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021
From 14 to 18 June, the RLS-Sciences network met virtually each day for two hours for the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021, hosted by Bavaria. In the beginning of 2021, Bavaria proposed a new working scenario for 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This scenario began with the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021. This conference built upon the inaugural RLS-Sciences Conference hosted by São Paulo in 2019 and the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19 hosted by Upper Austria in 2020. The overall theme of the 2021 conference was “Data as a Resource for the Regions”.
Photo Credit: WKS Bayern-Québec/Alberta/International and Véronique Baril, Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Québec
From Monday to Thursday (14 to 17 June), one of the 4+1 research groups - Global Aerospace Campus, Energy Network, Small Satellites and the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization with the RLS-Digital Health Initiative - met each day. On Friday (18 June), the entire RLS-Sciences network was invited to a joint interdisciplinary session which included reports from the 4+1 research groups, a panel discussion, and contributions from the political and science management levels of RLS-Sciences. Over the five days, over 140 participants joined, representing all seven RLS partner regions.
Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 here. |
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The Regional Leaders Summit (RLS) is a forum comprising seven regional governments: Bavaria (Germany), Georgia (USA), Québec (Canada), São Paulo (Brazil), Shandong (China), Upper Austria (Austria), and Western Cape (South Africa). Within the framework of RLS, RLS-Sciences seeks to leverage the unique composition and strengths of the RLS network to support scientific research within and between the RLS regions. The goal is to generate and support academic, scientific, and technological exchanges, as well as the initiation of multilateral research projects. RLS-Sciences is comprised of its scientific network, the existing bilateral relationships between the RLS members, and its four research projects: RLS-Energy Network (the RLS-Sciences pilot project), the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization, the RLS-Global Aerospace Campus, and RLS-Small Satellites.
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Aerospace
As part of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021, the RLS-Global Aerospace Campus met at the invitation of Munich Aerospace, the group brought together their work and the conference theme of “Data as a Resource for the Regions” by addressing “Advanced (Urban) Air Mobility”. Presentations were given by experts from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, and São Paulo on the differing facets of advanced urban air mobility, including sustainability, societal acceptance, regulation, and air traffic control considerations. Providing a review of the latest developments in advanced urban air mobility in their respective regions, the experts elaborated on emerging trends and how challenges are being addressed in the different cultural, political, and geographic contexts. The next online course, “Urban Air Mobility” is under development with inputs from across the RLS regions. Learn more about the project by visiting the Global Aerospace Campus site here. |
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Energy
On Tuesday, 15 June, the RLS-Energy Network met as part of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 to exchange on ‘’Energy Modelling and Systems’’. The collection, curation, and analysis of data has long been a key topic for the Energy Network, making the connection between the Tuesday session and the overall conference theme of "Data as a Resource for the Regions" a natural fit. Experts from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong, and Upper Austria provided “impulse presentations” on issues ranging from big data analysis for climate change and energy transitions to smart grids and new energy sources like hydrogen through to regional modelling with life cycle analysis tools and biofuels as well as macroand socioeconomic indicators. In a second part, the participants exchanged on the first steps to build a joint vision on a “data marketplace” to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange of data between disciplines. This work builds upon the SWOT Analysis and the Monitoring Report. Learn more about the RLS-Energy Network here. |
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Small Satellites
The RLS-Small Satellites group met for an internal project meeting on Wednesday, 16 June, within the framework of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021. The partners reviewed their current commitments, including 3 TOM satellites from Bavaria and 3 picosatellites from Shandong. The group is working to ensure these satellites are launched this year, with the aim to integrate as many regions as possible into an RLS ground station network. The more ground stations the satellites can connect to, the better the coverage will be and the more Earth observation data can be downlinked and analysed. Prof. Klaus Schilling (Bavaria) showed a variety of possible data types which could be generated for the regions, demonstrating the value the project brings for direct data generation and analysis. With the pico-satellites, the RLS regions in cooperation have given themselves a valuable instrument of high technology, particularly for data generation and analysis. The research group is working on a powerful formation of pico-satellites in orbit, using the expertise on pico-satellites, space communication (navigation, guidance, control), miniaturization and mechatronics available in the RLS regions. To review the most recent publications from the group, please click here. Learn more about the project here. |
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Digitalization
On 17 June, the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization held a joint session together with the new RLS-Digital Health Initiative during the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021. In this shared session, the first half was dedicated to the Expert Dialogue on Digitalization. The group reported on updates from their 2020 work in the field of “Work in the Digital Area”, with presentations from Bavaria, Georgia, São Paulo, and Shandong on the digital transformations taking place in the RLS regions in the way of working and doing business, including higher education, cybersecurity, open research, and enterprise. In the second hour, the emerging Digital Health group heard contributions from Bavaria, São Paulo, Shandong, and Upper Austria on e-health platforms, AI based medical applications, big data and disease identification, verification, and prediction. In both parts of the session, the tension between securing and protecting data while also acknowledging that sharing data allows for new advances was explored. Of particular note was the presentation on the new open research policy guidelines from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), which sparked great discussion amongst the participants. You can learn more about the Expert Dialogue on Digitalization here. |