Copernicus Academy Training courses in the fields of coastal and catchment zone management

This Action will promote the use of Copernicus Earth Observations (EO) Services in the fields of coastal and catchment zone management. The main aim of this action is to educate and train three kind of audiences: (1) undergraduate and postgraduate students, (2) researchers and (3) professionals through different capacity building activities. The goal of the plan is to undertake lectures, training sessions, traineeships as well as educational and training material to empower the next generation of researchers, scientists, civil servants and entrepreneurs with suitable skill sets to use Copernicus data and information services to their full potential.

IHC will organize training sessions, reference lectures and local events to provide awareness and capacity building. IHC activities will focus on three aspects:

1. Introduce the Copernicus Programme at University level: researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students. 
2. Introduce the benefits of the Copernicus Programme for the Spanish Administration and private companies.
3. Provide the required knowledge to access data from the three sections of the Copernicus Programme: insitu data, outputs from numerical modelling and satellite data (Sentinels, etc.)
4. Provide clear examples of downstream services developed by intermediate users to tackle different needs in the fields of coastal and catchment zone management.

In order to identify end user needs and provide specific activities to specific end user needs, three activities will be undertaken:

1. Reference Lectures.

Reference Lectures will be provided to researchers and University students (undergraduates and postgraduates).

1. Workshops.

Training sessions or workshops will promote the Copernicus Programme fostering the Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) capabilities within the Public and Private Sector. IHC will offer courses focusing on the use of Copernicus Services to meet the needs of managers, technicians and professionals in the field of river engineering, coastal and offshore engineering, habitat monitoring, integrated coastal and catchment zone management and ecohydrology.

Technical sessions aimed at the promotion of the Copernicus program within the Spanish Administrative and Private Sector will involve master classes and hands-on practical sessions through Copernicus services.

1. Local Event.

Local events provide the perfect environment to contact with scientists, administrative officers, undergraduates, postgraduates and start-ups and SMEs that might be interested on Earth Observations. In order to foster the interaction of these local actors (Universities, SMEs, start-ups, etc.) an annual conference will take place at Cantabria University to foster Copernicus Programme awareness and networking.  

• IHC will organize the workshops. Other Spanish Consortium participants will be invited to participate
• IHC will organize the Local Event. Other Spanish Consortium participants will be invited to participate
• The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fish, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) will also contribute to the organization of the workshops. In addition, a selection of regional governments will be contacted for the co-organisation of the workshops.
• The Cantabrian Regional Government (« Dirección General de Innovación, Desarrollo Tecnológico y Emprendimiento Industrial ») will contribute interacting with local -SMEs and start-ups.