The CEOE awards the galician startup that the Government of Galicia and Indra “signed up” to fight against the Asian wasp

The Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations (CEOE) and the consulting firm PGS have presented an award to the Galician SME Aerocámaras, which the Government of Galicia and Indra, one of the leading global technology and consulting companies, are supporting to fight the expansion of the Asian wasp by using drones.

The prize was presented by Indra at the ceremony of the “Innovation in Company” Contest held Thursday at the headquarters of the CEOE in Madrid, which was attended by the vice-chairman of the Organization and Chairman of Self-Employed Workers Association, Lorenzo Amor.

This award recognizes the great potential and ability of Aerocámaras to work within an open innovation model, together with companies of Indra's size and experience. Aerotools UAV e IcarusRPA Skydronex were the two other finalists for the award.

The Vespa Velutina or Asian wasp is an invasive species that has spread throughout northern Spain and other areas of Europe and constitutes a serious threat to local species of wasps and bees, which is affecting the production of local honey.

Aerocámaras, through its startup company Eurodrones, has created one of the most effective tools that exist to fight this insect, thereby supporting the work of rural agents and rangers.

The system has sensors to detect insects from the sky, identify the exact location of their nest and eliminate it by injecting a liquid, without affecting other species.

The use of drones has proven to be the only possible way to cover the surveillance of large areas of forest, inaccessible in many cases by other means, and to locate and eliminate the nests.

A project funded by the BF Aero

Eurodrones startup presented this concept in the last call of the BFAero, the incubator and accelerator of the Civil UAVs Initiative, which at the moment is the most ambitious initiative for the development of civil drones and associated technologies that exists in Europe, and which the Government of Galicia has been promoting since 2016.

The accelerator, of which Indra is one of its main promoters through its Indraventures corporate innovation vehicle, selected the Eurodrones project for its ability to respond to real problems and good marketing prospects.

With these awards, the CEOE and the PGS group recognize companies such as Aerocámaras, capable of working within an open innovation ecosystem, in which larger companies such as Indra provide their driving force, while startups and SMEs provide their agility to innovate at very competitive costs. All this contributes to the growth and competitiveness of the country's industrial fabric and innovation capacity.

The meeting and awards ceremony held at the CEOE headquarters also served to connect startups and SMEs with potential investors, business angels, and innovation directors and CEOs of large companies.

About the Civil UAV Initiative
Led by the Government of Galicia, the Civil UAV Initiative has raised €165 million distributed in four major programs. The first focuses on the creation and improvement of aeronautical infrastructure and Rozas aerodrome to facilitate the development of the sector in the region; the second is an R&D program with an investment of €115 million to work on the development of new products, technologies and solutions; the third pillar hinges on eleven pre-commercial tenders for solutions based on the use of UAVs aimed at improving land and rural environment management, maritime surveillance and air traffic control; and the last one is the business incubation and acceleration program, which recently launched the Business Factory Aero, launched to attract and support projects from companies and startups from anywhere in the world.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2018 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3.104 billion, with 43,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.