Within its “Science for Society” programme , ESA has supported the development of a wide range of applications addressing key policy needs. Each project works closely with key stakeholders, with solutions co-designed together with their users.
However the interaction with users is not systematically continued after the end of each project. Moreover there is a need to engage with a wider range of stakeholders to promote uptake of the different applications, maximising the impact of ESA’s support.
With this aim, ESA has initiated the Stakeholder Engagement Facility (SEF). The SEF will maintain and expand engagement with stakeholders across all ESA applications projects, seeking to grow the user base, ultimately promoting increased operational adoption . It uses a range of tools to address user uptake, including outreach campaigns, community animation, training events, workshops, helpdesk and direct technical support.
The SEF is initially focussed on four main policy themes: Food Systems; Ecosystem and Biodiversity; Carbon, Energy and Green Transition; Sustainable Development Goals. It is led by Evenflow with the support of Serco and EARSC.
Evenflow is prime contractor with overall responsibility for the SEF execution. As such it oversees the core outreach tasks, gathering stakeholder needs and planning activities that can meet these. It is also responsible for creating narratives showcasing how project outputs meet user needs, and supports the mapping of stakeholders and policies across key themes.