DRONES4CIP: Drones for Critical Infrastructure Protection

Last 6 February 2017, the first working meeting of the Project, “DRONES4CIP: Drones for Critical Infrastructure Protection,” was celebrated in Malaga, and was attended by ISFOC, as the project coordinator, and the Andalusian companies,  Aeorum España S.L. and Ayesa Advanced Technologies S.A. Apart from the partners of the consortium, the development of the Project will benefit from the active participation of four important entities due to their valuable contributions: University of Málaga, Sevilla Ports Authority, the National Centre for the Protection of Infrastructures and Cybersecurity (CNPIC) and Jefatura de Sistemas Especiales de la Dirección General de la Policía. 

This project has the following main goals:

  • Development of a computerized system for a fleet of unmanned drones for the critical infrastructure protection of commercial ports.
  • Development of a computerized landing and battery recharging station for drones, using renewable energies such as photovoltaic energy and wind energy.
  • Automatic detection of location and incidences and structural damage analysis using vision and artificial intelligence techniques.

ISFOC is responsible for the design and implementation of the energy generation using photovoltaic modules and wind turbines, as well as for the election of the best energy-storage systems necessary for charging the drones.

DRONES4CIP Project has an execution period until 31 December 2018 and a budget of €1,380,901. From this amount, €701,532 are financed by FEDER funds on account of the "R&D&I by and for the benefit of Companies - Technology Fund" 2014-2020 Operating Programme and by CDTI’s own funds.

This project is framed in the 2016 Call for Proposals of grants addressed to foster the regional cooperation in research and innovation (FEDER (ERDF) – INNTERCONECTA Programme), approved by The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and supported by the Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness. This call for proposals’ aim is to support integrated experimental projects in the form of cooperative projects between companies that have their main economic activity in geographical areas of specific regions, such as Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha, and meeting at least one of the eight Challenges of Society established in the article 8.2.c) of the regulatory bases.