Recent and Upcoming News and Events

RLS-Sciences Spring Edition Newsletter online
21 June, 2022

RLS-Sciences is pleased to share its Spring Edition Newsletter, which has a special focus on funding. Readers will find a summary of the RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022, as well as a series of upcoming multilateral funding opportunities from Horizon Europe, the US National Science Foundation, the German Research Foundation, and more. In addition, regional funding agencies are profiled, including the Georgia Research Alliance, the Québec Research Fund, and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. 

The RLS-Sciences Spring Edition newsletter can be downloaded here.

RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022
4-8 April, 2022 online and in Munich, Bavaria

The RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022 took place online from 4th- 8th April 2022, hosted by Bavaria. Over the course of the week, the RLS-Sciences Network met virtually for 2 hours each day. Altogether, 112 participants from all seven RLS partner regions joined to listen to over 30 speakers who shared their expertise on advanced air mobility, energy security and systems resilience, data-use possibilities for pico-satellites, and regional digital health initiatives. The overarching theme for the week was “Sustainable and Resilient Regional Recoveries”.
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Photo Credit: WKS Bayern-Québec/Alberta/International, 2022
The RLS-Sciences Digital Week model was established during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first Digital Week in June 2021. The Digital Week will continue as a fixture in RLS-Sciences in years to come, to create a dedicated opportunity for virtual exchange which complements the in-person conferences, and to retain accessibility gained during the increase in virtual activities over the last three years.

RLS-Sciences will next meet all together in September, at the invitation of Bavaria.
 
Review the RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022 program here.

Bavarian Minister Huml presents funding for Bavarian small satellites
4 March, 2022, Würzburg, Bavaria

On 4 March, Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs, Melanie Huml, visited the Centre for Telematics in Würzburg, Bavaria, home of the Bavarian team and lead for the RLS-Sciences Small Satellites project.  Upon the occasion of her visit, she presented new funding to the group, totalling 340 000 EUR. Three small satellites from Bavaria will be launched later this year, and will be designated under the project name “OperaTOM- Scientific Operation of the TOM Satellite Formation in Orbit”. The partner regions are cooperating on small satellites, assessing how the satellites can work in a formation in space and assessing the data they capture together through a global network of ground stations.

Read more here (German language).
Learn more about the RLS-Small Satellites project group here.
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Bavarian Minister for European and International Affairs, Melanie Huml, MdL (left) presented Prof. Klaus Schilling (right) with 340 000 EUR funding for the OperaTOM small satellites project. Credit: Bavarian Ministry for European and International Affairs, 2022

RLS-Sciences Winter Edition Newsletter Online
28 January, 2022

RLS-Sciences is pleased to share its Winter Edition Newsletter, which includes reports from over the autumn and early winter on different activities of the RLS-Sciences research groups- including the first dedicated Digital Health Initiative Workshop, Global Aerospace Campus at MTL Connect, and new partners for the Small Satellites- as well as a new project with Energy Network partners, and an overview of RLS-Sciences main 2022 activities.

The RLS-Sciences Winter Edition newsletter can be downloaded here.

RLS-Sciences at the 10th Regional Leaders Summit, hosted by Upper Austria
11 November, 2021, online and in Linz

On 11 November, 2021, at the 10th Regional Leaders' Summit on "Smart Regions" hosted by Upper Austria, RLS-Sciences was presented to the Heads of Government as part of the virtual conference program. In a presentation developed by Dr. Sebastian Goers (Upper Austria), president of RLS-Sciences with the support of Dr. Florence Gauzy (Bavaria), lead management partner, and Fiona Rumohr, regional administrative coordinator (Bavaria), the achievements and developments in the RLS-Sciences network since 2018 were shown. These included growth in the size of the network, a series of academic publications, new joint projects out of and supported by the 4+1 research groups, new online courses with thousands of learners, and the first steps toward a new RLS-Sciences research group in digital health. Review the presentation here, and the corresponding overview here.
 
Further aspects of the 10th Summit included a presentation on "Smart Regions" from the Upper Austrian Academy of the Future, and political statements from the regions (Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong, Upper Austria, and Western Cape). Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer passed the chair of RLS for the next period to Shandong, and Shandong Vice-Governor Ji Binchang announced that the theme for the next RLS will be "Green Development". 
 
To read more about the 10th Regional Leaders' Summit, visit the website here. 
Québec hosted the 9th Regional Leaders’ Summit in 2019. Please find the Québec political statement here.
To download the RLS-Sciences presentation to the Heads of Government, click here.  

First RLS-Digital Health Initiative Workshop
8-9 November, 2021 online and in Munich, Bavaria

On 8 and 9 November, 2021, the RLS-Digital Health Initiative met online for its first independent workshop. The workshop was designed to create an opportunity for participants from the RLS partner regions to exchange on topics related to digital health from their regional and research perspectives.
 
The impetus for the RLS-Digital Health Initiative came from Bavaria and first exchanges took place during the RLS Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 hosted by Upper Austria in September 2020. In continuity, the inaugural workshop was opened with statements from political representatives in Bavaria and Upper Austria. Speakers from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, Shandong, and Upper Austria presented to nearly 50 participants out of the regions over the two days. The workshop included presentations, discussions, and question-and-answer sessions covering digital health topics out of the RLS partner regions including AI applied to healthcare and medicine, the perspective of clinicians and practitioners on new developments in digital health, responsibility and ethics, and more.
 
To prepare for future collaborative work, Dr. Sebastian Bickelhaupt presented a joint roadmap for the group to discuss and further develop together. The roadmap created with regional perspectives will guide the next stages of the group as they advance together, and is currently under review.

Review the program here.

Mobility funding programs for senior and young researchers reopening
2 November, 2021

Following closures during the pandemic, a number of mobility programs for senior and young researchers are starting to reopen throughout the RLS partner regions. The Bavarian RLS-Sciences team encourages researchers to explore the RLS-Sciences Funding Database for newly reopened oppportunities to facilitate exchange with their partners in the RLS regions.
A few examples of recently reopened programs include:
DAAD RISE Professional (young researchers)
DAAD Guest Professor Program (senior researchers)
Mitacs GlobalinkResearch Award (young researchers)
FAPESP Visiting Researchers Program (senior researchers)
FAPESP Sao Paulo Researchers In International Cooperation SPRINT  (senior researchers)

Visit the RLS-Sciences Funding Database for further funding opportunities, organized by theme and region.

RLS-Global Aerospace Campus at MTL Connect 2021
14 October, 2021 online and in Montréal, Québec

RLS-Sciences is pleased to return to MTL Connect once again in 2021. This year, the RLS-Global Aerospace Campus hosted a keynote, panel discussion, and networking activity on 14 October on the topic "Towards Advanced Air Mobility: Ecological, Social and Economic Challenges of the Aerial Mobility of the Future".

The keynote  presented by Prof. Mirko Hornung (Technical University of Munich/Bauhaus Luftfahrt), provided an overview about the vast number of small to large flying demonstrators developed and tested in the last years, as well as potential market demand and possible use cases for passengers, logistics as well as other flying services.

The panel discussion featured:
Prof. Constantinos Antoniou (Technical University of Munich, Bavaria)
Prof. Laurie Garrow (Georgia  Institute of Technology, Georgia)
Prof. Luis Rodrigues (Concordia University, Québec)
Prof. Humberto Bettini (University of São Paulo, São Paulo)
Moderation: Dr. Sebastian Goers (Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Upper Austria)
MTL Connect is "an international event that  democratizes the issues and challenges of digital transformation at the technological, economic, social, cultural, and environmental levels". RLS-Sciences was represented at MTL Connect in 2020 by the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization.

View the event here (keynote) and here (panel discussion).
Learn more about the Global Aerospace Campus here.
Learn more about MTL Connect 2021 here.
Read an article about the Global Aerospace Campus at MTL Connect in L'actualité here. (French language publication)

RLS-Sciences Summer Special Newsletter Online
17 September, 2021

RLS-Sciences is pleased to share its Summer Special Newsletter, which includes news from over the summer of new awards presented to RLS-Sciences members, honouring both individual and institutional achievements, as well as the participation of RLS-Sciences in several international activities, news of a recent joint publication, and upcoming activities.

The RLS-Sciences Summer Special edition newsletter can be downloaded here.

RLS-Sciences selected as case study by OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation
13 September, 2021

RLS-Sciences as a multilateral, multiregional science initiative has been selected as a case study for the "2021 Call for Innovations". The 2021 call, launched jointly by the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) and the UAE Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for GovernmentInnovation (MBRCGI), focused specifically on innovation in cross-border collaboration. OPSI is a global forum for public sector innovation.

 Read the case study here.

RLS-Sciences at INGSA 2021
1 September, 2021 online and in Montréal

The RLS-Sciences management team was pleased to contribute at the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) 2021 Conference: Build Back Better. The RLS-Sciences network was invited to be a part of a special ''Innovations in Science Advice'' session. INGSA is a Québec-driven, international network inscience advice and science diplomacy. The RLS-Sciences contribution was streamed online at INGSA 2021, and remains available via YouTube (24:12).
Read more about INGSA and INGSA 2021 "Build Back Better" here.

New publication from the RLS-Energy Network on smart campuses
31 August, 2021

Coordinated by Laval University and including authors from all seven RLS partner regions, the article "Smart Campuses: Extensive Review of the Last Decade of Research and Current Challenges" has been published in IEEE Xplore. The review assesses 182 publications from 2010 to 2020 and identifies seven aspects of "smartness" for smart campuses.
 According to the abstract, "seven categories of smartness: smart building, smart environment, smart mobility, smart living, smart people, smart governance and smart data. The main open questions and challenges regarding smart campuses are presented at the end of the review and deal with sustainability and energy transition, acceptability and ethics, learning models, open data policies and interoperability."

Download the paper (open access) here.
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Graphic depiction of the seven identified categories of smartness for smart campuses.

RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021
14-18 June, 2021 online and in Munich, Bavaria

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”.
 
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.
 
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Photo Credit: WKS Bayern-Québec/Alberta/International and Véronique Baril, Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Québec
Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 here.

New publication: The Role of Renewable Energy in Regional Energy Transitions
8 January, 2021

The RLS-Energy Network is pleased to announce the publication of an article in Sustainability, based on its SWOT Analysis. The paper identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of renewable energy deployment in regional energy transitions for the seven RLS partner regions. The paper represents a significant output of the entire Energy Network, with co-authors from five regions, and contributions from all seven regions.

As mandated by the RLS Heads of Government in 2018 in Québec, the RLS-Energy Network is working on identifying best practices for regional energy transitions. The publication builds on the existing work of the Energy Network, including the 2018 Monitoring Report which aggregated key data on renewable energy in the regions, as well as the SWOT Analysis Technical Report, which was completed in 2020. Throughout the evolution of the work, key connections have been maintained with the political level of RLS-Sciences. 
  
The Monitoring Report was presented to the Heads of Government at the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec, and a summary of the SWOT Analysis Technical Report was presented at the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19. The publication in Sustainability is in continuity with these efforts, as it includes recommendations for policy makers.

Read the paper here (PDF) or here (online version).
Read the SWOT Analysis Technical Report here (PDF).

Previous News and Events

Space Safety e-Learning course now open for registrations
8 December, 2020, online and in Munich, Bavaria

As part of the online offerings of the Global Aerospace Campus, Munich Aerospace has developed an e-Learning course on "Space Safety". The course offers a variety of several topics such as space safety in general, space debris, space weather, planetary defense and asteroid impacts as well as space medicine. Experts from the European Space Agency, the Technical University of Munich, the Bundeswehr University Munich and the German Aerospace Center provide information on the latest research results and ideas how to manage the increasing satellite traffic in space in the future. Registration for the course is available here, and is free. A teaser trailer for the course can be viewed below, and on the Global Aerospace YouTube channel here.

RLS-Sciences Panel on the main stage at MTL Connect
15 October, 2020, online and in Montréal, Québec

RLS-Sciences presented its panel, “New patterns of work in the digital area– an international comparison of home office practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the RLS-Network” on the main stage of MTL Connect on 15 October. The RLS-Sciences network was approached by Printemps Numérique, a digitalisation organisation in Québec, to hold a panel during the MTL Connect: Montreal Digital Week. The Montreal Digital Week “aims to look across the board at the main questions related to digital development, focusing on its economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts in various sectors of activity”. Building upon the work presented at the RLS Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19, and was presented by experts from the Expert Dialogue on Digitalization. The panel included partners from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, and Upper Austria.
Learn more about the Expert Dialogue on Digitalization here. 

Global Aerospace Campus releases teaser trailer for upcoming online course "Urban Air Mobility"
14 October, 2020, Munich, Bavaria

The Global Aerospace Campus is working to develop its future online courses for release in 2021. The next course, "Urban Air Mobility" will feature lectures from aerospace experts across the RLS partner regions. The trailer was first shown  as part of the presentation of Prof. Klaus Drechsler for the Global Aerospace Campus at the RLS Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 on 15 September, 2020. 

View the trailer here or below. 
Learn more about the Global Aerospace Campus here. 

RLS-Sciences at the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19
15-16 September, 2020, live and in-person in Linz, Upper Austria

Within the framework of the chairmanship of the "Regional Leaders' Summit", Upper Austria invited the partner regions and the RLS-Sciences Network to a virtual symposium on 15-16 September, 2020. The symposium was an international exchange between politics and science, discussing best practices, challenges, and exit strategies for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Digital Health Initiative was launched with the aim of expanding the scientific network and conducting interdisciplinary research.
Part 2 of the RLS Virtual Round Table on COVID-19 included the RLS-Sciences segment, featuring presentations from the Energy Network, the Global Aerospace Campus, Small Satellites, and the Expert Dialogue on Digitalization. (Credit: Upper Austrian Government) 
Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences activities here.
Review the symposium programme here.
Review the symposium booklet here.
Watch the RLS Virtual Round Table on COVID-19 here (Part 1), here (Part 2 including the RLS-Sciences inputs), and here (Part 3). ​​

Global Aerospace Campus releases “Digitalisation in Aeronautics and Space” as MOOC
14 September, 2020, Munich, Bavaria

The RLS-Sciences Global Aerospace Campus project aims to strengthen the specialized training of aerospace professionals in the RLS partner regions. This includes in-person components, such as the Global Aerospace Summits, and virtual components, such as the first eLearning course from Bavaria on digitalisation and aeronautics. Now, in an expansion of the virtual training, the first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Global Aerospace Campus has been released in cooperation with TUM and Munich Aerospace.

The course, “Digitalisation in Aeronautics and Space” went live on Monday, 14 September 2020.
 
Learn more about the new MOOC here (German) or here (English).
Learn more about the Global Aerospace Campus here.
View the course here.

RLS-Energy Network at the Forum Econogy
14 September, 2020, virtual and live in Linz, Upper Austria

The Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler University Linz hosted its 2020 Forum Econogy on 14 September, 2020 with a combined virtual-and-live event. This year's Forum Econogy was on the theme: "Big Challenges / Common Solutions -No recovery without a sustainable energy system". The event was opened by Markus Achleitner, State Councillor for Economic Affairs and Energy and President of the Energieinstitut, and the keynote was delivered by Prof. Dr. Christoph Badelt, Head of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research. As part of this year's event, there was a dedicated RLS-Energy Network session, featuring presentations from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, and Western Cape.

Watch the 2020 Forum Econogy here or below (RLS-Energy Network session starts at 1:07:20).
Review the programme here.
Learn more about the Energieinstitut at the JKU Linz here.

Nineteen RLS-Energy Network young researchers at the World Sustainable Energy Days 2020
4-6 March, 2020, Wels, Upper Austria

As part of its ongoing support for young researchers, the RLS-Energy Network invited young researchers from their networks to apply to the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference (YERC) at the World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) in Wels, Upper Austria. The WSED is an event comprised of 6 parallel conferences, including the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference, a trade show, and workshops. Nineteen young RLS-Energy Network researchers from four RLS regions (Bavaria, Québec, São Paulo, Upper Austria) successfully applied to showcase their work as an oral or poster presentation during the YERC. At the invitation of the WSED organizers, the Upper Austrian Energy Agency, young researchers from the RLS regions met with representatives of the Upper Austrian government, RLS-Sciences, and the Upper Austrian Energy Agency. The young researchers were able to hear about the Regional Leaders Summit, RLS-Sciences, and the Energy Network, and exchanged their thoughts on the concept of a smart energy transition.

There are also two awards given at the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference: one for energy efficiency research and one for biomass research. Noémie Chagnon-Lessard from Université Laval, won the Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher Award. The award has a prize of 1000 EUR and is chosen by the scientific committee. Learn more about her research in her conference article or by reviewing her presentation.
Review the work of the RLS-Energy Network young researchers by clicking on their name(s) below.

Forum Munich Aerospace lecture with Prof. Klaus Schilling on mini-satellites
12 December, 2019, Munich, Bavaria

Munich Aerospace, in partnership with the Technical University of Munich, the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society, has launched a lecture series, Forum Munich Aerospace, to cover the latest developments in aerospace combined with special historical perspectives of industry.

In a cross-thematic RLS-Sciences activity and as a GAC.impulse, Prof. Klaus Schilling of the University of Würzburg and lead partner of RLS-Small Satellites held a lecture in the series. His talk, “The Future of Space: Networked, Cooperating Mini-Satellites?”, discussed the paradigm shift from traditional, multifunctional, large space probes to distributed, networked, cooperating micro-satellites. Watch his lecture (in German) below, or on the Global Aerospace Campus YouTube channel here.
Learn more about the Forum Munich Aerospace and the lecture here.
Learn more about the Global Aerospace Campus here and here.
Learn more about RLS-Small Satellites here.

RLS-Energy Network meets in Québec for workshop with RQEI
18-21 November, 2019, Québec City, Québec

As part of a follow-up to the 2018 Regional Leaders Summit in Québec, scientific and political partners of the RLS-Energy Network were jointly invited to Québec by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, the Ministry of International Relations and the Francophonie, and the University of Québec in Trois-Rivières. Researchers from across the RLS regions joined in person and virtually in collaboration with the Réseau québécois sur l’énergie intelligente (RQEI) to exchange on key energy topics with leading Québec experts and to share their progress on the regional SWOT analysis.
Photo Credit: Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Québec
The discussions identified new cooperation pathways, funding opportunities, and institutional mechanisms for supporting international projects and mobility in the RLS regions. A summary of the workshop, including information on the activities undertaken since the RLS-Sciences Conference in São Paulo, was also presented to political coordinators from all seven regions in a dedicated session. Moreover, partners from Québec and from abroad joined the 40th Québec Mines + Energy Congress, held from 18 until 21 November in Québec City.
 
Learn more about the workshop on international collaboration in energy research and the RQEI here. (French)

Global Aerospace Campus on YouTube
28 November, 2019

As part of the online learning opportunities developed by the Global Aerospace Campus, the project has a dedicated YouTube playlist on lead partner Munich Aerospace's YouTube channel. The Global Aerospace Campus playlist includes a welcome video from Bavaria’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Judith Gerlach for the inaugural Global Aerospace Campus eLearning course , as well as short videos on a variety of key questions relating to the theme of the eLearning course, ‘’Digitalisation in Aeronautics and Space’’.
The channel also includes full lectures from the Forum Munich Aerospace, including the inaugural lecture by Prof. Xioxiang Zhu, German Aerospace Center and the Technical University of Munich, on AI and Earth observation. Forum Munich Aerospace is a joint lecture series by the Technical University of Munich, Munich Aerospace, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt and the Royal Aeronautical Society,
 
View the Global Aerospace Campus playlist here.
Register for the eLearning course, ''Digitalisation in Aeronautics and Space'' here.

Global Aerospace Campus launches first eLearning course:
''Digitalisation in Aeronautics and Space''
15 October, 2019

The first eLearning course from the Global Aerospace Campus launches on 15 October, 2019. Developed by lead partner Munich Aerospace, the eLearning course, ''Digitisation in Aeronautics and Space'' includes contributions from leading researchers, industry, and policymakers. All interested participants from all seven RLS partner regions were invited to register. The first eLearning course from the Global Aerospace Campus is a key step in achieving the goals of the Global Aerospace Group: building a structured further training programme comprising global in-person attendance phases and work experience placements. Watch a teaser video for the e-Learning course below.

To register, send an email to e-learning (at) munich-aerospace.de.
To learn more about the Global Aerospace Campus and the new eLearning offering, visit the website here.

WSED 2020: Young Energy Researchers Conference
4-6 March, 2020, Wels, Upper Austria

Young energy researchers from all RLS partner regions have been invited to apply to participate for the 2020 Young Energy Researchers Conference. As part of the World Sustainable Energy Days Conference, two Young Energy Researchers conferences present the work and achievements of young researchers in the fields of biomass and energy efficiency. The conferences offer an opportunity to interact with researchers and industry experts from all over the world. The organiser of the WSED, the OÖ Energiesparverband, covers the costs of accommodation, meals, participation and local transport (3 conference days) for up to 60 selected participants (between 3 - 6 March).
Submissions have been invited from any scientific field (e.g. technology & engineering, economic and social sciences, architecture, law, arts, etc.) and must be in English only from researchers born after 1984. The two best contributions are honoured with the awards "Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher" and "Best Young Biomass Researcher" and will receive 1,000 Euro each as prize money.
Young researchers from the RLS regions have been strongly encouraged to apply. In 2019, the a total of seven young RLS-Sciences researchers from participated. The deadline application was 10 October, 2019.

Learn more about WSED and the Young Energy Researchers Conference here.

RLS-Sciences online funding database updated
4 September, 2019

The online funding opportunities database for RLS-Sciences hs been updated to reflect new deadlines and opportunities for researchers from all seven RLS regions and all four RLS-Sciences R&D topics. Researchers can explore current and future funding opportunities for projects and mobility, as well as opportunities for students and young researchers within the RLS-Sciences network. Funding opportunities are organized according to both region and topic, allowing researchers to search within opportunities which are specifically relevant to them and their field. 

Explore the funding database here.

RLS-Sciences Conference 2019

From 27th to 31st May, the four RLS-Sciences groups met in São Jose dos Campos at the invitation of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The meeting gave the RLS-Sciences projects an key opportunity to meet in person to continue work and make further progress ahead of the 10th Regional Leaders Summit in Linz next year, as well as an opportunity to discuss RLS-Sciences developments overall.
​ 
Read more about FAPESP here.
Read a summary of the conference here.
Review the programme here.
Download a ''first impressions'' infographic about the conference here.
Researchers from across the partner regions and from all four RLS-Sciences themes met for five days at the National Space Institute (INPE) Integrated Testing Laboratory (LIT) campus. Each group had two days for internal working meetings, presentations, and brainstorming, with a third day being dedicated to inter-project exchanges, overall RLS-Sciences development discussions, and inputs from the scientific side for the next Regional Leaders Summit in 2020, in Linz, Upper Austria on the theme, ‘’Smart Regions’’. Participants were then invited to join technical site visits held over two days, including trips to the testing facilities of LIT, a Raízen ethanol plant, aerospace company Embraer, and the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials.

Throughout the conference, there were joint activities which brought all participants together. Researchers came together for a ‘’Smart Regions’’ session, which included inputs from each project. Young researchers from all four topics were given the chance to join an open challenge, created and supported by Simon Barnabé, Université du Québec à Trois Rivières, to brainstorm future innovative ideas for the region of São Paulo in the next decade. The young researchers presented the result, “Sãotellites” to all participants in the final session.
Review the results of the Young Researchers Challenge, ''Sãotellites'', by downloading their presentation here.

RLS-Small Satellites ''TIM'' Poster presented at 12th IAA Symposium in Berlin

From 6 to 10 May, 2019, the International Academy of Astronautics hosted its 12th Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation in Berlin, Germany. The RLS-Small Satellites group presented a poster on the ''Telematics International Mission'' or ''TIM''.

Review the poster here.
Learn more about the 12th IAA Symposium here.

Celebration for small satellites success with ERC Synergy Grant for CloudCT

On 1 March, 2019, representatives from academia, government, and industry gathered in Munich to celebrate Prof. Klaus Schilling (Zentrum für Telematik), Prof. Ilan Koren (Weizmann Institute, Rehovot), and Prof. Yoav Schechner’s (Technion, Haifa) European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant for their interdisciplinary project, ‘’CloudCT’’. Over 70 guests attended the celebration at the invitation of the Scientific Coordination Office (WKS) and the Bavarian Research Alliance.
 
CloudCT builds upon longstanding small satellites research programme Prof. Schiling conducts in Würzburg with the ‘’UWE’’ and ‘’NetSat’’ series, as well as the international experience within the multilateral RLS-Small Satellites project with the ‘’TIM’’ series. Now in CloudCT, the principal investigators and their teams will capture unique data about clouds through advanced computer tomography using a formation of ten small satellites. The aim is to improve climate modelling.
 
The celebration began with a video message from Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council. Then, Judith Gerlach, Bavarian Minister for Digitalisation, spoke about the linkages between digitalisation and future technologies such as pico-satellites. Guests then heard a short history of research cooperation between Israel and Germany from Sandra Simovich, Consul General of the State of Israel in Munich.
 
The keynote address was given by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Sextl, who provided guests enlightening and humourous insights into the career and successes of Prof. Schilling, as well as Prof. Koren and Prof. Schechner. The researchers themselves then jointly presented their project, giving guests an opportunity to understand the need for an interdisciplinary approach and how each field will advance through this research.

Further Information and Links

CloudCT Festakt programme.

CloudCT Grant Announcement.

Zentrum für Telematik. 

Technion Hybrid Imaging Laboratory.

Weizmann Institute Cloud Physics Group.

RLS-Small Satellites.

Young Energy Researchers Conference
27-28 February, 2019, Wels, Austria

As part of the World Sustainable Energy Days, seven young researchers from three RLS-Sciences regions participated in the Young Energy Researchers Conference. From Bavaria, Mr. Robert Bauer and Mr. Maximilian Mock, as well as Dr. Madhav Singh and Ms. Barbara Poisl (Technologiezentrum Energie at Hochschule Landshut) presented two posters. From Québec and Western Cape, Mr. Pierre-Olivier Lemire (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)  and Mr. Ashton Mpofu (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) each presented their research during the Young Energy Researchers Biomass Conference. Another young RLS-Sciences researcher from Bavaria, Ms. Amarachi Kalu (LMU Munich), also participated in the Young Energy Researchers Conference.

The young RLS-Sciences researchers had the opportunity to meet with RLS and RLS-Sciences representatives from Upper Austria and Bavaria, as well as network with each other and other young researchers from around the world. With ­over 650 participants from over 50 countries each ­year, the World ­Sustainable Energy Days are one of Europe's largest annual conferences on sustainable energy. The conference has two tracks: energy efficiency and biomass. The posters, conference papers, and presentations from the young researchers from RLS-Sciences can be reviewed below.
 
Presentations:
Biomethanation of tannery sludge: Optimisation of initial pH and temperature and evaluation of kinetics (Mpofu et al.)
Associated conference paper available here.
Design and Economics of an Advanced Biomass Processing Depot: Case Study in Southern Quebec (Lemire)
Associated conference paper available here.
Posters:
Used lithium ion battery: State of health data for its second life (Sighart, Singh, Poisl, Pettinger)
Piping renewable energy: Utilizing methanogen and organic waste (Bauer and Mock)

Zentrum für Telematik wins prestigious European Research Council prize
24 October, 2018, Würzburg, Bavaria

​The interdisciplinary German-Israeli project "CloudCT", with Prof. Klaus Schilling, has won a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant, endowed with a maximum funding of €14 million. A formation of 10 microsatellites will record the composition of clouds using computer tomography methods. It is important that about 10 satellites simultaneously capture the  target area from different directions in order to generate a corresponding 3D image. This will provide atmospheric physicists with data to improve cloud modelling and enable better climate predictions. An error of about 1% in cloud properties contributes to deviations in climate predictions at about the same order of magnitude as all greenhouse gases from human activities.
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The award winners Ilan Koren (atmospheric physics), Yoav Schechner (computer tomography) and Klaus Schilling (formations from microsatellites) in front of the precision motion simulator of the Center for Telematics in Würzburg, where this research work is being prepared. Photo Credit: Zentrüm für Telematik e.V, 2018
In 2012, Prof. Schilling was awarded the ERC Advanced Grant "NetSat" in the amount of €2.5 million to demonstrate for the first time control techniques for a self-organizing, three-dimensional formation of satellites in orbit. Funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, this capability is already being used innovatively for Earth observation in the 3 smallest satellites of "TOM - Telematics earth Observation Mission". Within the framework of the Regional Leaders Summit (RLS), a further 9 satellites will be contributed to TIM by the partners as part of the RLS-Small Satellites project.
 
Read more here. (German)
Visit the Zentrum für Telematik website here. 

9th Regional Leaders Summit

From 17 to 18 May, 2018, the Regional Leaders Summit met in Québec. This was the ninth meeting of the Regional Leaders Summit, and marks the second time the summit was held in Québec. The theme of the conference was ''Energy Transition: Towards a low carbon economy''. Surrounding and during the conference, RLS-Sciences and partners held events for each of the four R&D themes. Review a summary of these activities here. 
Review the Final Declaration on the energy transition here. 
​ 
RLS-Sciences Activities for 9th RLS Conference
  • 9-18 May: Inaugural RLS-Energy Network Summer School
  • 10-11 May: 2nd Annual Global Aerospace Campus Summer Summit
  • 16 May: Journée de recherche ‘’Digital Day’’
  • 17 May: Small Satellites project meeting
  • 17 May: Energy Network presentation to RLS Heads of Government
  • 18 May: RLS-Sciences presentations at the 9th RLS Conference

Each meeting produced interesting contents, which are available for review on the thematic pages.

On 17th May, 2018, Dr. Sebastian Goers presented the RLS-Energy Network to the RLS Heads of Government. Review his presentation here.
Cristina Cavalcanti, a student from São Paulo who's participation in RLS-Sciences was funded by FAPESP, presented her summer school team's work on the Cape Town water crisis to the Heads of Government. Please find a copy of the student team presentation here. Explanations about the summer school team’s works can be found here. For context on the water situation in Cape Town,  please refer to information from our partner GreenCape on the water outlook and industry here, as well as additional information here and here.
​ 
On Friday, 18 May, 2018, each of the four RLS-Sciences themes were presented to the conference. To review the presentations, simply select the topic of interest below. Additionally, two students from the RLS-Energy Network Summer School presented the results of the group project proposals which were developed over ten days in Shawinigan and Québec.

RLS-Energy Network releases first Monitoring Report
17 May, 2018

The Regional Renewables Alliance (RRA) has published its first Monitoring Report ahead of the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec. The report gives a preliminary overview of the renewable energy capacities across the seven RLS partner regions, based on existing data. It also describes ongoing research and development activities in renewable energy, as well as socioeconomic and geographic contexts of the regions. The report was prepared under the coordination of the Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz.

Review the Monitoring Report here.

RLS-Energy Network hosts inaugural international summer school
​Shawinigan & Québec City, Québec, 9-18 May, 2018

The RLS-Energy Network is pleased to announce the success of their inaugural international summer school on renewable energy from May 9 to 18, 2018, in Shawinigan City and Québec City (QC, Canada). The Summer School was jointly organized by the RLS-Energy Network, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) and the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). Students from across the RLS partner regions participated, joined by researchers from the RLS-Energy Network.

​Find more information here, or on the Summer School page from FRQNT here. ​​

Global Aerospace Campus launches own website and informational video
​Ottobrunn, Bavaria, December, 2017

Global Aerospace Campus has launched their own website! The new webpage includes an overview of the virtual campus for the RLS-Aerospace Network, details about the network's activities, and planned developments. Additional information about partners and courses can also be found on the website. In addition, lead partners Munich Aerospace have produced an informational video about the project.

​Visit the Global Aerospace Campus website here. 
View the video here.

New degree programme “Satellite Technology” at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
​Würzburg, Bavaria, 15 December, 2017

The new degree programme “Satellite Technology – Advanced Space Systems” will start in winter 2018 at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Bavaria. Focused on small satellites, telecommunication, earth observation, and digitalisation, this programme will expand the well-established programme “Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Space Science and Technology – SpaceMaster”. Special lectures and excursions will be organised by different partners in Bavaria, such as Zentrum für Telematik, TUM, University of the Bundeswehr, and DLR. Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling, lead partner of RLS-Small Satellites,  is head of the new programme.

​Read more about the new degree programme here (German/Deutsch) or about RLS-Small Satellites here.

1st Upper Austrian Stakeholder Workshop of the RLS Energy Network at Forum Econogy 2017
Linz, Upper Austria, 6 December, 2017

​On 6th December 2017, the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Upper Austria, hosted its Forum Econogy. This year´s topic was “Lösungen in stürmischen Zeiten”. Experts presented lighthouse projects towards a transition of the energy sector. The aim of the RLS Energy Network workshop was to incorporate the expectations of Upper Austrian stakeholders from science, policy and industry and to identify and evaluate future research and innovation projects. Current activities of the network’s roadmap, the monitoring of the renewable energy status quo and potentials were presented. Scientists from Upper Austria and Bavaria introduced their research activities on Power-to-X, energy systems, energy storage and ICT ecosystems for energy savings on the household level to the stakeholders.
 
Find the agenda of the RLS Energy Networks workshop here.

RLS Energy Network at WindAc Africa 2017
​Cape Town, Western Cape, 15 November, 2017

​The paper “The regional roles and benefits of wind power – a monitoring process for the partner regions Bavaria, Georgia, Upper Austria, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong and Western Cape” was presented at the wind power conference WindAc Africa 2017 in the session “Global Outlook”. The report was generated in cooperation with RLS scientists from different institutions from Shandong (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong University), Upper Austria (Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University Linz) and the Western Cape (Stellenbosch University) and presents wind power highlights, objectives, statistics, trends and research activities of selected RLS regions compiled during a monitoring process of the RLS Energy Network’s roadmap.
 
Review the presentation here.

RLS-Sciences at IAUP 2017
​Vienna, Austria, 7 July, 2017

Members of RLS-Sciences presented the network and projects of RLS-Sciences in the context of innovation in education at the IAUP Triennial Conference 2017 in Vienna, Austria. The presentation was titled, ''New University Models - Innovation in Education - RLS-Sciences: A multilateral and multilevel approach'', and was authored by Sebastian Goers, Florence Gauzy, and Laurine Platzky on behalf of all RLS-Sciences members. 
​
Review the presentation here and watch Dr. Sebastian Goers present here or below.

Global Aerospace Campus Summer Summit 2017 hosted by Munich Aerospace
​Taufkirchen, Bavaria, 26-28 June, 2017

The Munich Aerospace Summer Summit 2017 was held in Taufkirchen, Bavaria, from 26 June to 28 June. This year's theme was "Green Aerospace". For the second time, PhD candidates from across the seven RLS regions participated. This marked the second large-scale event of of the RLS-Global Aerospace Campus, and built on the success of the first summer school in 2016. Over 120 participants from academia and industry were in attendance, and researchers from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, and São Paulo presented. 

​Read more about the 2017 Summer Summit here, or review the programme here.

Prof. Broy on Industry 4.0 at Printemps numérique event
​Montréal, Québec, 6 June, 2017

​On 6 June, 2017, Prof. Manfred Broy, founding president of the Zentrum für Digitalisierung Bayern (ZD.B) presented on Industry 4.0 at the invitation of Printemps numérique. The presentation was part of Printemps numérique’s #intersections VOL. 5: Industry 4.0 event, held at the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montréal.
Picture
Photo Credit: Printemps numérique 2017
​Read more here, or learn more about the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization here. 

Zentrum für Telematik wins INNOSpace Masters Airbus Defence & Space Challenge 2017
​​Bavaria, 18 May, 2017

On 18 May, 2017, the Zentrum für Telematik e.V. (ZfT) was announced as the winner of the INNOSpace Master Competition Airbus Defence and Space Challenge 2017. This year, the INNOSpace Master Competition theme was: "Space 4.0: Ideas for the next space generation". The ZfT proposal to use advanced manufacturing methods in the production of satellites for advanced space applications ranked first out of 66 proposals submitted. According to Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling, CEO of ZfT, the application of advanced manufacturing methods is more important now that greater numbers of small satellites will be in demand. The proposal includes joint human-robot processes in manufacturing, and seeks to decrease both production costs and innovation cycle implementation times. Zentrum für Telematik e.V. is the lead partner in the RLS-Small Satellites project.
Further information about the proposal from Zentrum für Telematik e.V. can be found here. (German only)

​Visit the Zentrum für Telematik e.V. website here. 
Learn more about the InnoSpace Masters Competition here. 

RLS-Small Satellites presented in Western Cape during Bavarian delegation visit
Cape Town, Western Cape, 12 April, 2017

​During the visit of the Bavarian delegation of Minister of Economics Ilse Aigner to South Africa, a small satellite symposium was held at CPUT in Capetown. It focused on the joint “Telematics International Mission (TIM)” addressing a pico-satellite formation for Earth observation with applications in agriculture, as well as in volcano and in marine monitoring. 

Learn more about TIM here.
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Photo: Prof. Herman Steyn (Stellenbosch University) explains the South African pico-satellites to Minister Ilse Aigner and Prof. Klaus Schilling (Source: RLS-Small Satellites, 2017)

RLS-Energy Network meets in Montréal
​Montréal, Québec, 9-10 April, 2017

The RLS-Energy network met in Montréal from 9-10 April, 2017. Researchers and representatives from each RLS region were in attendance, and new members were welcomed. On 10 April, Québec Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Pierre Arcand, was in attendance and spoke to the group. 

To review the programme, please click here. ​

RLS-Small Satellites meets in Würzburg
Würzburg, Bavaria, 24-25 March, 2017

The RLS-Small Satellites group met from 24 March to 25 March at the Zentrum für Telematik in Würzburg, Bavaria. Updates from each RLS region were provided. The group discussed the specifics of a series of key aspects for the project over the two days, and set out the next steps to move forward. With the success of this meeting, the group continues to move towards launch.

Learn more about RLS-Small Satellites here.

8th Regional Leaders Summit

From 14 to 15 July, 2016, the Regional Leaders Summit met in Munich. This was the eighth meeting of the Regional Leaders Summit, and marks the second time the summit was held in Munich, where the inaugural Regional Leaders Summit took place in 2002. Surrounding and during the conference, RLS-Sciences and partners held events for each of the four R&D topics. Review a summary of these activities here. 
Learn more about the conference by reading the Final Declaration.
​ 
RLS-Sciences Activities for 8th RLS Conference
  • 12 July: RLS-Energy Network Panel at iSEneC 2016
  • 13 July: Expert Dialogue on Digitization at Zentrum Digitalisierung Bayern
  • 14 July: Campus Aerospace Tour and Brainstorming Session
  • 15 July: RLS-Small Satellites Kick-Off Meeting

On 14th July, 2016, Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling presented the RLS-Small Satellites project to the RLS heads of government.
The four Bavarian project coordinators presented to the 8th RLS Conference on Friday, 15 July 2016. To review their presentations, simply select the topic of interest below.

RLS-Small Satellites meeting followed by website launch
Würzburg, Bavaria, 21 July, 2016

On 15 July, 2016, the RLS-Small Satellites group met in Munich for their project kick-off. Researchers from all seven RLS regions attended, and constructive next steps for the future project were decided. Following the kick-off meeting, the RLS-Small Satellites project has launched its website. It will feature information about the project and the partners, as well as updates on the progress of the project. 

Global Aerospace Campus holds Site Tour and Brainstorming Session at Ludwig-Bölkow Campus
Ottobrunn, Bavaria, 14 July, 2016

​Following the success of the Munich Aerospace Summer School 2016 on "Autonomous Flight", the Campus Aerospace group met at the Ludwig-Bölkow Campus in Ottobrunn for presentations, followed by a tour of the facilities on site. The group then had a networking lunch, followed by a productive brainstorming session on how to develop future learning programmes for the next generation of aerospace researchers across the RLS regions. Nearly 30 RLS researchers from all seven regions were part of the event.

​Read more here (English) and here (Deutsch). 

Expert Dialogue on Digitalization at Zentrum Digitalisierung Bayern
Garching, Bavaria, 13 July, 2016

On 13th July, 2016, experts from across the RLS regions came together for an expert dialogue on digitalization and "Industrie 4.0" from their regional perspective. The dialogue offered an opportunity for the regions to share their competencies in the field, as well as best practices and lessons learned about the digital transition. The dialogue was hosted by Prof. Manfred Broy at the Zentrum für Digitalisierung Bayern, in Garching, Bavaria. 

RLS-Energy Network Panel held at iSEneC 2016
Nuremberg, Bavaria, 12 July, 2016

The Integration of Sustainable Energy Conference was held from 11 to 12 July, 2016 in Nuremberg, Germany. As part of the conference, the RLS- Energy Network held a panel from 14:00 - 16:00 on 12 July. Senior researchers from across the RLS regions offered presentations on innovative renewable energy research and regional perspectives on energy policy.

RLS-Sciences Participants at Munich Aerospace Summer School 2016
Herrsching, Bavaria, 22-24 June, 2016

The Munich Aerospace Summer School 2016 was held in Herrsching, Bavaria, from 22 June to 24 June. This year's theme was "Autonomous Flight". For the first time, PhD candidates from across the RLS regions participated, for a total of nine RLS-Sciences participants.

​Read more here, and review the programme here.
RLS-Sciences Participants at the Munich Aerospace Summer School 2016. From left to right: Bernd Kolar (Upper Austria), Aldo André Diaz Salazar (São Paulo), Paola Gonzalez Ramos (São Paulo), Wang Shu (Shandong), Jean-Sébastien Dick(Québec), Mingshan Chi (Shandong), and Ugo Chouinard (Québec). Not pictured: Greg Busch (Georgia), Jason Corman (Georgia). (Photo Credit: Aldo André Diaz Salazar).

RLS-Sciences Meeting in Munich
Munich, Bavaria, 26 January, 2016

A preparatory meeting was held with representatives from the RLS regions in Munich in order to begin preparations for the scientific events associated with the 8th Regional Leaders Summit to be held in Munich in July 2016.

Energy Network Meeting in Québec
Montréal, Québec, 23 November, 2015

Members of the Energy Network met in Montréal to discuss the development of the network. Topics discussed included network management, network structure, and the next steps to be taken.

Energy Network Meeting in Upper Austria
Linz, Upper Austria, 23 June, 2015

Members of the Energy Network were invited to participate in an internal workshop on, ”Economic and technological challenges of energy-system research in Upper Austria.”

Energy Network Second Generation Biofuels Workshop in Western Cape
Cape Town, Western Cape, 12 March, 2014

Members of the Energy Network met in Western Cape for a workshop on second generation biofuels and exploring the technical cooperation amongst the RLS member states on the topic.

Renewable Energy Symposium in Western Cape
Cape Town, Western Cape, 10-11 March, 2014

Bringing together experts from across Western Cape and the Partner Regions, the Renewable Energy Symposium provided a forum for presentations from policy makers, researchers, and industry experts to discuss renewable energy research.

RLS International Seminar on Biomass, Biogas and Energy Efficiency in São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil, 3-5 April, 2013

The RLS International Seminar on Biomass, Biogas and Energy Efficiency was organized and hosted by the Government of São Paulo from 3-5 April, 2013. The final report includes copies of the fifteen papers which were presented during the conference.

Read the final report here.

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Dr. Florence Gauzy
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