The Establishment of the EXcellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present our vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre (ERC) established within the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services on the National, European and International levels. The implementation of the vision will be addressed through a robust Business Plan that will be developed with in Phase 1 of EXCELSIOR project and will establish the foundations for the development of a competitive and high competence profile to expand the Centre’s visibility beyond the national level and develop transnational regional cooperation. The Business Plan is key to ensure the sustainability of the CoE and will also provide the necessary guarantees for a self-sustained operation. The long term aim of the upgraded Centre is to create new opportunities for conducting basic and applied research and innovation (R&I) in the areas of the integrated use of remote sensing and space-based techniques for monitoring the environment.