Future Needs has officially kicked off SME-RISE – Business Modelling Skills for Drone Entrepreneurs, a 24-month Erasmus+ project, with the project launch taking place in December 2025.
SME-RISE responds to a fast-growing need in the European drone services sector: while innovation and technical expertise are advancing rapidly, many SMEs, start-ups, and young entrepreneurs lack the business modelling skills, market knowledge, and regulatory understanding needed to build sustainable and scalable drone-based services.
Operating across Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus, the project supports the EU’s digital and green transitions while addressing concrete labour-market needs in vocational education and training (VET).
Future Needs’ role in SME-RISE
Within the project Future Needs plays a central role in both digital implementation and long-term impact.
Our team:
- Designs and develops the online business development platform, including e-learning modules, interactive features, and a resource library
- Leads platform testing, piloting, and optimisation based on real user feedback
- Contributes to business-focused learning content, covering areas such as costing, regulation, and social acceptance of drone services
- Leads the project’s communication, dissemination, and sustainability strategy, ensuring that results remain accessible and impactful beyond the project’s lifetime
- Supports stakeholder engagement and the exploitation of project outcomes
First initiative: tell us what drone businesses really need
As its first activity, SME-RISE has launched a Comprehensive Needs Analysis Survey, aimed at mapping real-world challenges, skills gaps, and opportunities in the European drone services ecosystem.
The survey will directly inform the development of:
- A specialised European training curriculum
- A Drone Business Readiness Tool
- A Regulation Navigator tailored to the drone sector
Who should take part?
This survey is intended for professionals and entrepreneurs based in Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus, including:
- Drone service providers offering drone-based services to clients
- Businesses using drones internally in sectors such as construction, agriculture, security, or infrastructure
Duration: approximately 5–7 minutes
Data protection: responses are anonymous, with contact details requested only on a voluntary basis for follow-up interviews or case studies
Stakeholder input at this early stage is essential to ensure that SME-RISE delivers tools and training that are relevant, practical, and aligned with real market needs.
Future Needs is excited to collaborate with partners across Europe, including Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, European Progress, Instituto Pedro Nunes, and Spotin (Spotlight on Innovation), to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation in the drone services sector.
