ICAERUS concludes four years of research on drone innovation for agriculture, forestry and rural areas

The ICAERUS project, funded under Horizon Europe, concludes today after four years of work exploring the potential, risks and added value of drones as multi-purpose vehicles in European agriculture, forestry and rural communities.

Launched in July 2022, ICAERUS brought together research organisations, technology providers, associations and non-profit partners to examine how drones can support more informed decision-making, improve operational efficiency, strengthen sustainability performance and contribute to the digital transition of agri-rural areas.

Over its lifetime, the project moved from research and stakeholder mapping to field demonstrations, open calls, training, business modelling and long-term knowledge sharing. Its results are now brought together through the ICAERUS Platform, the project’s public-facing hub for outputs, tools and resources.

A practical evidence base for drone uptake

At the core of ICAERUS were five real-world use cases covering key drone applications across Europe:

• crop monitoring in Spain;
• drone spraying in Greece;
• livestock monitoring in France;
• forestry and biodiversity monitoring in Lithuania;
• rural logistics in North Macedonia and Greece.

Across these settings, ICAERUS tested and evaluated drone-based approaches under representative operational conditions. The project completed two full demonstration cycles, delivered 28 demonstration events, engaged more than 1,900 stakeholders, and demonstrated 60+ drone hardware and data analytics technologies.

The use cases produced evidence on where drone-based services can support farmers, foresters, rural communities, technology providers and policymakers, while also documenting the operational, regulatory and technical constraints that still affect adoption.

Life Cycle Assessment and socio-economic evidence

A key achievement of ICAERUS is the completion of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and socio-economic impact assessment across all five use cases.

These assessments compared drone-based approaches with conventional practices and provided evidence on environmental and economic performance. Results show that, in relevant use-case scenarios, drone-based approaches can contribute to reduced CO₂ emissions, lower agrochemical use, improved cost-benefit performance and more efficient operations.

The project also assessed technology adoption factors, highlighting the importance of usability, skills, access, trial opportunities, local infrastructure, regulation and targeted training. These findings provide a practical basis for future policy dialogue, especially around BVLOS operations, rural airspace integration, and responsible drone deployment.

Open tools, data and knowledge for the drone ecosystem

ICAERUS leaves behind several resources designed for continued use beyond the project lifetime.

The ICAERUS Platform acts as a one-stop interactive entry point for drone innovation in agriculture, forestry, environment and rural areas. It brings together the Drone Market Landscape, Drone Data Analytics Library, use case and open call results, ICAERUS Academy, socio-economic and environmental impact assessment results, business and governance models, value-added services, demo books and learning materials.

The platform has already reached 750+ active users and will remain online for seven years after the project. Its connection with EU-FarmBook will help preserve and expand the visibility of project materials.

The Drone Market Landscape provides structured information on drone technologies, innovation actors, regulations, standards and risks. By the end of the project, ICAERUS had identified 310 drone platforms, 162 payloads, 1,500 drone innovation actors, 472 drone-related technologies, 22 standards and regulations, and 43 risks relevant to drone deployment.

The Drone Data Analytics Library (DDAL) offers an open-access repository of drone data analytics models, datasets and algorithms, connected to GitHub and Zenodo. ICAERUS exceeded its target of 200 items, reaching 237 items in the DDAL. The library includes datasets and models from the project’s use cases and Open Call Trials, supporting reuse by researchers, developers, SMEs and other drone ecosystem actors.

Capacity building and business support

Through the ICAERUS Academy, the project developed a free, open-access online course on drone technologies and business development, hosted on OpenLearn. The course was translated into Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian and Spanish, and reached more than 1,500 enrolled learners.

ICAERUS also developed on-site learning materials and value-added services, including business and strategy tools such as a market concentration calculator, business model wizard and IP navigator to support drone innovators.

Through its Open Calls, ICAERUS launched 20 Open Call Trials, supporting external innovators and end-users to test, develop and apply drone-based solutions. Not only did these activities contribute new datasets and models, but they also demonstrated an expansive range of drone applications in rural settings including bridge and pipeline inspections, monitoring for illegal logging and waste dumping, and non-invasive rodent deterrence.

A legacy for future projects, policy and practice

As the project closes, the consortium highlights that responsible drone uptake depends on more than technology alone. It requires trusted data, clear regulation, environmental evidence, viable business models, user skills and practical field experience. Over four years, ICAERUS has worked to connect these elements through real-world use cases, stakeholder engagement, open resources and capacity-building activities.

The ICAERUS Platform is available at: https://platform.icaerus.eu

About ICAERUS

ICAERUS – Innovations and Capacity Building in Agricultural, Environmental and Rural UAV Services – was a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funded under Grant Agreement No. 101060643. The project ran from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2026, with an overall budget of €5,914,703. ICAERUS explored the opportunities, risks and added value of drones as multi-purpose vehicles in agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

At a glance – Key facts and figures

• Instrument: Horizon Europe- Financial support to third parties
• Total costs: € 5,914,703.00
• Duration: 4 years, 2022-2026
• Consortium: A total of 13 partners from 8 European countries