Drone Center The goal of the project is to support the development of business operations and transport infrastructure by creating a regional drone industry competence center. The goal is also to produce competent personnel for the use of regional operators. The project improves employment opportunities for young people with the skills it produces, but also offers opportunities for transitioning from job to job by producing complementary and new skills for people working in different professions. A key part of the project is the flexible introduction of new technology and the search for new innovative solutions in the field of drone technology. The goal of EP opisto (= EP College) and Sedu is to seek solutions and methods of operation based on the needs of business life in order to utilize the constantly developing drone technology. A versatile testing, training and learning environment will be created to research and pilot operating models related to drone technology. Sedu is also developing the use of drone technology in its own pilots in the region. Development work is done in close cooperation with the EP opisto and the business life of the area. With the help of drone technology training, there is at best an opportunity to increase the attractiveness of the province, because so far a similar training and learning environment has not been implemented elsewhere. Drone technology also contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, when heavier aircraft can be replaced with various drone applications. 2. Project implementation and results EP opisto acts as the main implementer of the project. Other regional and national actors are also involved in the project. Sedu participates in the project as a partial implementer. Both EP opisto and Sedu also prepare investment projects, which will be used to acquire the equipment and applications necessary for the operation of the Drone Center. A cooperative relationship with Traficom has already been established both for EP opisto and Sedu. In the first phase, the needs of stakeholders related to the use of drones and new opportunities for using drones regionally will be specified. The project participants create the simulation and testing environment required for piloting, as well as the practical instructions that support them. The project will produce a research and development center for the drone industry in South Ostrobothnia. With the center, a regional network and platform for joint development will be created, through which information and innovations related to the drone industry will be made widely available to various operators. Through the center, national and international partnerships can also be created to develop skills. At the center of the project is the multidisciplinary networking of the operators in the drone industry, which allows the achieved results to be put into practice as widely as possible. Through its steering group, the project is connected to Into Seinäjoki's "Agile and sustainable movement" project. At regular meetings, the current situation of the projects is maintained, experiences are exchanged and potential challenges are resolved. Significant regional added value is sought through the cooperation of the projects. The results of the project are also analyzed and used indirectly from an educational point of view, in order to maximize the drone's use possibilities and employment effects. The structure of the drone center will be created in a modular way, which offers a flexible opportunity to offer the business world services related to drone technology and competent drone pilots for various tasks based on the needs of society. Thanks to the system's modularity, the operation can be tailored to meet the needs of different personnel groups to develop citizens' drone expertise.
