U-AGREE Project Takes Off

The U-AGREE project officially lifted off with its Kick-off Meeting, hosted at the INECO venue in Madrid. Bringing together an impressive consortium of experts and organizations, the meeting marked the beginning of a bold three-year journey toward safer, more efficient, and citizen-friendly drone operations across Europe.

U-AGREE is part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) flagship initiative on U-space and Urban Air Mobility, and will run from 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2027.

At the heart of the project is a clear mission: to develop an integrated risk model that ensures unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can take flight while protecting people, privacy, infrastructure, and the environment. Think of it as the ultimate “air traffic bouncer”—managing risk with precision to keep the skies safe and open for innovation.

To achieve this, U-AGREE will build upon and enhance the existing SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) methodology, aligning it with EU U-space regulations. The goal? To streamline operational approvals and accelerate safe drone deployment across urban and controlled airspaces.

The project is coordinated by Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and supported by a powerhouse consortium of leading stakeholders in air traffic management and drone innovation:

• CRIDA (Centro de Referencia en I+D+i ATM)
• Collins Aerospace
• Cranfield University
• DLR (German Aerospace Center)
• ENAIRE
• ENGAGE
• EUROCONTROL
• EuroUSC Italia
• INECO

The Kick-off Meeting set a solid foundation for collaboration, with partners aligning on priorities, work packages, and the shared ambition to shape the future of U-space with smarter, faster, and safer approval processes.

Stay tuned for updates as U-AGREE moves full speed ahead into Europe’s evolving drone landscape.