Ongoing

SPADE

Agriculture
Drone Technologies
Forestry
Innovation Funding

MULTI-PURPOSE PHYSICAL-CYBER AGRI-FOREST DRONES ECOSYSTEM FOR GOVERNANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATION

SPADE develops an intelligent digital ecosystem that makes multi-purpose drone operations safer, smarter and more accessible for agriculture, forestry and livestock farming. Through AI-driven services, digital tools and real-world pilots, the project enables more sustainable and trustworthy drone applications across Europe.

Grant agreement: Nº 101060778

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Duration
09.2023 – 08.2026

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Horizon Europe

Project Budget
€5,82 M

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Project Overview

The Challenge

As drone adoption grows across agriculture and forestry, concerns around cybersecurity, physical safety, governance and trust continue to limit their wider deployment. Organisations need reliable, secure and practical solutions that enable safe drone operations while complying with evolving regulations.

Our Objective

To develop an intelligent ecosystem that supports safe, trustworthy and multi-purpose drone operations across agriculture, forestry and livestock farming. SPADE combines a digital platform, AI-driven services and real-world demonstrations to improve drone usability, governance and data reliability.

Innovation & Impact

SPADE combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins and an open-source toolbox to enable reusable drone solutions across multiple sectors. Through pilot demonstrations, international standardisation activities and two open calls supporting new use cases, the project accelerates innovation in agri-forest drone technologies.

Sploro’s Role in the Project

Sploro plays a key role in the strategic execution of the project, leveraging its expertise in:

FSTP Management

Managing the complete cascade funding lifecycle across two open calls, including call publication, application management, eligibility checks, proposal evaluation, beneficiary selection, sub-grant management and project monitoring.

Results and Expected Impact

Economic Impact

Reducing drone development costs, creating new business opportunities and supporting job creation in agriculture, forestry and rural communities through innovative drone technologies.

Ecosystem Impact

Building an open-source ecosystem that connects developers, service providers and end users, encouraging collaboration and innovation across the agri-forest drone sector.

Market Impact

Supporting up to 12 third-party organisations through cascade funding while accelerating the adoption of drone-based services and contributing to industry standardisation.

Societal Impact

Supporting more sustainable agriculture and forestry through improved resource management, enhanced animal welfare and evidence-based governance for drone deployment.

Tech Impact

Delivering AI-driven digital twins, advanced drone technologies and open-source tools that improve the safety, efficiency and trustworthiness of multi-purpose drone operations.