Drones and disaster response meet buyers in Brussels as EIC-backed firms pitch procurement-ready tech

Brussels, July 28th 2026

Summary

›On 2 July 2026 the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme powered by SPIN4EIC ran a multi-procurer day on drone use for disaster preparedness and response during Disaster Resilience Days in Brussels.
›Five EIC Accelerator beneficiaries demonstrated drone and sensing systems aimed at logistics, oil-spill detection, airspace management, mapping, and long-endurance inspection.
›Public-sector representatives from France and Germany outlined operational needs and constraints, highlighting gaps between prototypes and field adoption.
›SPIN4EIC and the EIC Business Acceleration Services position procurement support and matchmaking as routes to pilots and procurement, but real-world uptake depends on regulation, budgets, interoperability and lengthy procurement cycles.

Drones and disaster response meet buyers in Brussels

On 2 July 2026, during the Disaster Resilience Days in Brussels, the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Innovation Procurement Programme powered by SPIN4EIC staged a multi-procurer day focused on drone technology for disaster preparedness and emergency response. The session brought public-sector procurers together with five selected EIC-backed innovators to examine how advanced unmanned aerial systems and sensors could help first responders, environmental teams and civil protection agencies. About 50 people attended the session in person.

Purpose and format of the multi-procurer day

The event is part of a deliberate EIC approach to use procurement processes as a route to scale for deep tech. The Innovation Procurement Programme offers training, matchmaking and targeted, free support to EIC beneficiaries to identify and pursue procurement opportunities in Europe and internationally. Multi-procurer days create a structured forum where innovators can present solutions directly to potential buyers, discuss pilots, and explore future procurement collaborations. The aim is to shorten discovery cycles between technology developers and public-sector buyers while exposing innovators to procurement realities.

Who spoke and what the public-sector buyers said

The event was organised under the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security, CERIS, within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs. Two operational public-sector contributors included a joint representative from the French Police Academy and the Fire and Rescue Service of Lyon. A representative from Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief, THW, also participated. They described operational pain points for first responders in disaster scenarios and flagged where they see potential impact from drone systems. Their input focused on situational awareness, logistical bottlenecks, environmental contamination detection, and safe management of airspace in multi-asset responses.

CERIS and DG HOME:CERIS sits within DG Migration and Home Affairs and coordinates research and innovation for internal security and civil protection. Its role at events like Disaster Resilience Days is to convene stakeholders and align innovation priorities with operational needs.

The technologies presented

Five EIC-backed companies presented technologies that have clear relevance for disaster scenarios. Each solution targets a different operational niche from logistics to sensing to airspace management. Presenters explained technical capabilities and suggested pilot pathways with public buyers.

Company	EIC status	Product or system	Primary disaster response use cases	Most likely procurement entry points
Dronamics	EIC Accelerator beneficiary	Black Swan long-range cargo drone	Rapid transport of medical supplies, equipment and relief goods between regional airports and hubs to reach remote or isolated areas	Logistics tenders by regional authorities, strategic procurement for civil protection logistics, pilot contracts with national agencies
Ocean Visuals	EIC Accelerator beneficiary	OWL™ Hyper-Spectral LiDAR	Real-time detection and classification of marine oil spills and pollutants to guide containment and cleanup	Environmental monitoring contracts, coastal protection procurement, emergency environmental response pilots
Skypuzzler	EIC Accelerator beneficiary	Integrated Digital Air Traffic Control (iDATC) platform	Coordinating multiple drones and manned aircraft during crisis responses to avoid airspace conflicts and enable scalable operations	Civil aviation authority procurements, public safety airspace management pilots, contracts for civil protection interoperability
Wingtra	EIC Accelerator beneficiary	VTOL mapping drones combining fixed-wing endurance with vertical takeoff	High-accuracy surveying and geospatial data collection for damage assessment, mapping inaccessible terrain, and planning interventions	Surveying and mapping tenders, disaster damage assessment contracts, framework agreements with municipalities and emergency services
XSun	EIC Accelerator beneficiary	SolarXOne solar-powered autonomous UAV	Long-endurance infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring and persistent surveillance over disaster-affected areas	Infrastructure inspection procurement, environmental surveillance contracts, R&D procurement for long-duration missions

VTOL explained:VTOL stands for Vertical Take-Off and Landing. VTOL designs let drones hover and operate from small sites while offering the fixed-wing range and efficiency needed for larger area coverage.

Hyperspectral LiDAR and its operational role:Hyperspectral LiDAR combines active laser ranging with spectral sensing. It can detect chemical signatures or pollutant types in water or on surfaces while simultaneously producing 3D spatial data. For oil-spill response this enables rapid localisation, classification and tracking of slicks.

Integrated Digital Air Traffic Control (iDATC):Platforms such as iDATC are software systems that provide real-time deconfliction, dynamic airspace allocation and coordination for multiple unmanned platforms and manned aircraft. They are crucial to scale drone operations safely during multi-agency responses.

Solar-powered UAV endurance:Solar-electric UAVs extend mission duration by harvesting solar energy, enabling persistent monitoring missions without frequent recovery and relaunch. That capability is attractive for long-duration environmental monitoring and infrastructure surveillance during prolonged incidents.

Procurement context and the SPIN4EIC role

SPIN4EIC is the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme’s initiative for Strategic Innovation Procurement. It offers hands-on assistance to innovators and buyers. The programme provides training academies, matchmaking, free tailored support for developing procurement submissions and monitoring open procurement opportunities. SPIN4EIC also supports public buyers with drafting requirements and running open market consultations, which can reduce barriers for smaller, innovative suppliers.

Public procurement of innovation methods:Common procurement mechanisms include Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) where buyers fund development stages, and Public Procurement of Innovative solutions (PPI) where procurers purchase market-ready or near-market solutions. Open Market Consultations are an earlier-stage tool to shape requirements and attract suppliers.

What was achieved and what remains difficult

The session offered direct dialogue between developers and operational procurers. That is useful to align expectations, surface regulatory issues and identify pilot opportunities. The format fits the EIC’s broader BAS ecosystem that connects innovators to corporates, procurers, investors and support services.

But practical obstacles remain. Attendees and buyers emphasised several recurring constraints. These include fragmented budgets across municipalities and national agencies, slow procurement cycles that do not match rapid product development, certification and safety approvals for airspace and sensors, data privacy and cross-border data handling, and the need for interoperability with existing command and control systems. Procurers also stressed the need for clear operational evidence from pilots under representative conditions before committing to larger procurement.

A pragmatic checklist for innovators seeking procurement pilots

Based on the session and common procurement practice, innovators hoping to convert demos into pilots and buyers should consider the following practical steps.

1. Map procurement pathways. Identify whether potential buyers use PCP, PPI or standard tenders and adapt proposals accordingly. 2. Prepare compliance evidence. Ensure airworthiness, safety, electromagnetic compatibility and data handling documentation are available. 3. Demonstrate operational integration. Show how the system will interoperate with command-and-control, GIS and incident management tools. 4. Budget realism. Align trial scope with procurers’ budgets and timelines. Offer staged pilots to reduce buyer risk. 5. Data governance. Prepare data protection and cross-border processing plans and be ready to explain how analytics outputs will be shared with public agencies. 6. Liability and insurance. Clarify liability models and insurance coverage for field operations.

Attendance, next steps and how to follow SPIN4EIC opportunities

Around 50 audience members attended the multi-procurer session. Presenters invited follow-up discussions to explore pilots and procurement collaboration beyond the event. For innovators and buyers wanting to engage with SPIN4EIC and the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme the organisers recommend monitoring the SPIN4EIC website, joining the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme group on LinkedIn, and subscribing to the SPIN4EIC newsletter or the EIC BAS Newsletter and open calls digest.

SPIN4EIC Helpdesk and support:SPIN4EIC offers a Helpdesk to assist EIC innovators and procurers in preparing procurement submissions, shaping open market consultations and identifying relevant tenders. This support is free for selected EIC beneficiaries and public buyers participating in SPIN4EIC calls.

Implications for EU resilience and innovation policy

The event is consistent with EU priorities to strengthen resilience through technology and to use public procurement as a demand-side instrument for innovation. It also points to the limitations of single events. Scaling drone technologies for disaster response will require coordinated work on cross-border certification, harmonised operational standards, investments in public-sector procurement capability, and realistic pilot programmes that produce verifiable operational outcomes. Policymakers and funders will need to sustain support beyond matchmaking to close the gap between prototypes and mass procurement.

For buyers, the choice is between bespoke one-off procurements and structured innovation procurement programmes that include staged development and testing. For innovators, success will depend on matching technical claims with robust evidence from pilots in realistic operational contexts and on readiness to address regulation, liability and data governance.

Contact and practical links

Organisers encouraged interested parties to: monitor the SPIN4EIC website for open calls and assistance schemes, join the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme LinkedIn group, subscribe to the SPIN4EIC newsletter, and contact the SPIN4EIC Helpdesk for tailored support. The EIC Business Acceleration Services and the EIC Community Platform remain the primary entry points for EIC-backed innovators seeking procurement support, coaching and matchmaking.

If you missed the session, SPIN4EIC publishes highlights and impact reports and runs Innovation Procurement Academies periodically to train innovators and procurers in practical procurement steps and simulations.

Bottom line

Events like the multi-procurer day are useful to surface operational requirements and to open channels between innovators and potential buyers. They are a necessary step on a longer path. Real adoption of drone technologies in disaster response will require multiple aligned actions including rigorous field pilots, regulatory clarity for airspace and sensors, procurement design that tolerates risk and iteration, and investment in public buyers’ capacity to run innovation procurement.