H2020-TWINN-2015.

Grant Agreement no 691936

Remote Sensing Science Center for Cultural Heritage
Project full title:
ATHENA
Project acronym:
WP3
Work Package
Deliverable D3.3. Report of the Gap Analysis

© Copyright by the ATHENA consortium, 2015-2018. The project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under grant agreement No 691936 (H2020-TWINN-2015). More info regarding the project you can find here:
www.athena2020.eu

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

H2020-TWINN-2015
Grant Agreement no 691936
This project is funded under the EUROPEAN COMMISSION in the
Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020).

Work programme H2020 under “Spreading Excellence and

Call: Widening Participation”, call: H2020-TWINN-2015: Twinning
(Coordination and Support Action).

Project full title: Remote Sensing Science Center for Cultural Heritage

Project acronym: ATHENA

Work Package (WP): WP3

Deliverable (D): D3.3. Report of the Gap Analysis

November 2016
Due date of deliverable: Version: 1
(Month 12 of the project)

Author(s): Gunter Schreier & Thomas Krauss

Athos Agapiou, Vasiliki Lysandrou, Diofantos Hadjimitsis,

Contributor(s):
Rosa Lasaponara

Start date of project: 1/12/2015 Duration: 36 months

Dissemination Level
PU Public
Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Agency
CO √
Services)

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

Document Sign-off

Nature Name Role Partner Date

Partner 2 (Work
DRAFT Gunter Schreier DLR 16/11/2016
Package Leader)
Athos Agapiou,
REVIEWED Vasiliki Lysandrou, Project Coordinator CUT 17/11/2016
Diofantos Hadjimitsis

REVIEWED Rosa Lasaponara Partner 1 CNR

Leader, Partner 1,
APPROVED All partners
Partner 2

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

Work Package: 3 – Evaluation of gap and capacity development

Deliverable: D3.3. Report of the Gap Analysis

Sections to be Access Rights

Description Owner
protected Period Type*

none

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

Table of Contents
Summary ............................................................................................................................... 6
1. The ATHENA Center of Excellence Vision ...................................................................... 7
2. Introduction and Methodology ......................................................................................... 7
3. Quantifiable indicators for the Gap analysis: ................................................................... 9
4. Current Status of the CUT RS Lab .................................................................................11
5. Goals for the ATHENA Center of Excellence .................................................................13
6. Analysis of Gaps towards an ATHENA Center of Excellence .........................................15
7. Recommendations .........................................................................................................16
8. ANNEX (working) ...........................................................................................................17

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

Summary

The current deliverable consists of a preliminary report on the gap analysis, which is a
comparison between the current position of CUT’s Research Lab (including staff,
infrastructure etc.) and the targeted position to which ATHENA Centre of Excellence aims to
achieve, as well as the determination of the ‘distance’ between the two positions. This will
include the outline of the existing Lab’s technical and staff capabilities. The GAP analysis will
further outline the sectors that determine competitiveness, such as current infrastructures,
technology readiness and potential for innovation. It is expected that the accomplishment of
the gap analysis will then be evaluated by the partners and its outcomes will assist them in
order to guideline the Centre of Excellence to become. GAP analysis will determine what
steps need to be taken in order to transform RS Lab from its current state to its desired,
future state as ATHENA centre.
Gap analysis will consist of: (1) listing of characteristic factors (such as personnel,
performance levels, building infrastructure etc.) of the present situation ("what is"), (2) listing
factors needed to achieve future objectives ("what should be") as ATHENA centre, and then
(3) highlighting the gaps that exist and need to be filled.

According to a revised schedule decided by all consortium members of the project in regards
to the present deliverable, and for which the responsible PO of the EC has been informed,
the versions of the document and the delivery dates are as follows:

 A draft scheme will be delivered in the current month (November 2016), as was
initially scheduled by the project’s deliverables timeline (DLR to send scheme/layout
of Document within the next days. To be reviewed (and partly filled) by CUT and DLR
until end November).
 A full version will be submitted in April 2017.
 A final/revised version will be submitted towards the end of the project (Month 34-
September 2018)

The reason for this revised schedule is based on further analysis of the status quo, a better
definition of the requirements of regional and moreover international stakeholders and to
include the findings of the spring 2017 ATHENA workshop.
A final update will be delivered towards the end of the project.

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

1. The ATHENA Center of Excellence Vision

The Vision statement for the ATHENA Center of Excellence stated below is a goal which
should be reached, guided by a five year roadmap, by 2024, i.e. 5 years after the ATHENA
project.

The ATHENA Centre of Excellence (ATHENA) will be devoted to the development,

introduction and systematic use of advanced remote sensing science and technologies in the
field of archaeology, built cultural heritage, their multi-temporal analysis and interpretation
and the distant monitoring of their natural and anthropogenic environment. The Centre aims
to be in close collaboration with both national as well international research institutes and
stakeholders, providing integrated remote sensing services and solutions in the area of the
Eastern Mediterranean. The new perspectives on archaeological and cultural heritage in the
region will set ATHENA into a centre of knowledge and a standard lab in the field of Remote
Sensing Archaeology.
ATHENA will be implemented by significantly strengthening the scientific excellence and
innovation capacity of the Remote Sensing Science and Geo-Environment Research
Laboratory established in Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and specifically upgrade
and improve its Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Section.

2. Introduction and Methodology

In order to reach a goal, one needs to know, where to start from and which goal should be
reached by which time. The steps to be taken from this starting point towards the defined
goal should also be clearly defined, or at least flexible in a way to adapt to a current situation,
which may appear on the way to the goal.

This document is exactly describing the above undertakings:

1. Where does the ATHENA Center of Excellence start from? What is the current basis
of the CUT RS lab in terms of intellectual capacities, performances, international
presence, personnel and equipment? This analysis is supported by previous
documents, generated in the ATHENA project (refer to D3.1). This document
summarizes and highlights the findings in a format compatible with the gap analysis.
The time of this status analysis is fixed to mid 2016.
2. What would be the vision of an ATHENA Center of Excellence? What would be its
mission statement, the personnel and equipment required to fulfil this mission? The

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

general vision of the ATHENA Center of Excellence need to be turned into tangible
and quantifiable items to be compared with the existing situation at the CUT RS lab.
The vision for the ATHENA Center of Excellence will be stated for three dates:
a. the short term vision: The vision at the end of the ATHENA project (Jan
2019)
b. the mid term vision/ five year roadmap: five years after the end of the project
(2024)
c. the long term vision: ten years after the end of the project (2029)
3. Steps 1 & 2 then need to be compared in order to identify the gaps between the
status and the vision of an ATHENA Center of Excellence. The gaps will be identified
based on certain topics (e.g. personal, equipment) and should be quantifiable. Unless
specifically said, the “reference” vision would be the mid term vision (i.e. 2024)
4. Finally, recommendations would be stated, how these gaps should be filled, which
efforts should be undertaken and which resources would eventually be necessary to
do these efforts.

The figure below sketches the above described approach of the gap analysis.

Step 1: Status Quo

Step 2: Explaining the Vision
Reviewing the current performance
of the RS Lab (e.g. CVs of the This step will explain the vision, i.e.
personnel; reaserch involved; strategic objectives that RS Lab wishes to
training etc), in order to understand implement in order to become an ATHENA
the current level of expertise and Center of Excellence
pottentials.

Step 3: Gap Analysis Step 4: Recommendations

Step 3 will focus on the comparison Derived from the gap analysis,
of the current situation and the recommendations will be given on how to
visionary goal in order to identify the implement measures and necessary steps to
steps to be taken to achieve this goal. reach the goals.

Figure 1: Approach to Gap Analysis

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

3. Quantifiable indicators for the Gap analysis:

The following table defines indicators to measure the performance of an Athena Center of
Excellence, more specifically aims to compare through these parameters the current status
with the one that Athena would like to achieve in the mid term stage.

The indicators have been developed within the ATHENA project team. Therefore,
international standards, such as the U-Multirank1, supported by the European Commission,
has been used and adapted to be used in the frame of this project.

Item Relevance Measure/ Unit

Staffing The number of staff and the variety Number of permanent staff;
of their skills and experience is a Number of-non-permanent staff;
key factor for achieving the goals Number of guest scientists
of ATHENA

Infrastructure Sufficient office space. Well- Total office space in sqm

equipped labs and state of the art IT Total lab space in sqm
& communication is a key Major lab and instrument
parameter. infrastructure (items and approx..
value)
Education Well prepared and a variety of Number of lessons &curricula on
beginners and advanced curricula ATHENA topics/Year
makes ATHENA attractive for Number of educational events (also
students open for externals); Summer schools
and the like/ Year

Students Students are the best the Number of students/Year

multiplicator and sustainability Number of masters-degree /Year
factor for science. Number of Ph.D.-degree/Year
Percentage of international students

Outreach ATHENA shall be well known Number of workshops; conferences

outside Cyprus and outside the
specific academic community.
Funding Sufficient internal basic funding
and external contracts are important
for the operations and the growth.
Enough internal funding to ensure
the basic operations.
Science Internationally recognized science
& technology in the field of RS &
CH is the prime factor for
ATHENA
co-organized/ Year
Overall basic permanent funding
Number and overall value of external
funding
Relation internal/external funding
Number and kind of specific
science/technology projects.
Number of new, innovative projects

Publication Science, academic work and Number of overall published papers

1
U-Mulitirank: http://ec.europa.eu/education/initiatives/u-multirank_en

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis
technologic achievements shall be
published and recognized.
Services ATHENA shall also generate pre-
operational/operational services to
primarily public organizations, in
order to demonstrate the developed
skills outside an academic
environment
Networking Networking with national (Cyprus),
regional (middle east incl. Asia and
Africa) and European partners is
important for reaching the goal of
becoming a CoE in the region
Private Sector The collaboration with the private
cooperation sector in terms of joint projects and
supporting SMEs will be an
important factor for income and
sustainability of ATHENA
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ATHENA
by ATHENA staff/ Year
Number of peer reviewed
publications/ Year
Kind of services and absolute service
contract value
Kind of service within or for
European programs (non-research) &
contractual value
Number of public; governmental &
academia partners in Cyprus
Number of public & academic
partners in Europe & internationally
Number of membership in European/
international organizations
Number of private; company Partners
in Cyprus
Number of private; company Partners
in Europe and globally
10
D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

4. Current Status of the CUT RS Lab

Supportive document: Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics Self Assessment
Report for the period 2007 – 2015 (5.11.2015), as well as the D3.1 of the present WP.

Item Measure/ Unit Current Numbers (2016)

Staffing Number of permanent staff; -3
number of-non-permanent staff; - 11
Number of guest scientists -0
Infrastructure Total office space in sqm ~ 160 m2
Total lab space in sqm ~ 200 m2
Major lab and instrument ~ 1.3 m euros (referring to
infrastructure (items and approx.. Department Equipment in
value) general)
Education Number of lessons &curricula on ~ 1-2
ATHENA topics/Year
Number of educational events (also ~ 0-1
open for externals); Summer schools
and the like/ Year

Students Number of students/Year ~ 30-40

Number of masters-degree /Year ~ 15-20
Number of Ph.D.-degree/Year ~ 2-3
Percentage of international students 0

Outreach Number of workshops; conferences ~0-1

co-organized/ Year
Funding Overall basic permanent funding 0
(besides permanent staff)
Number and overall value of external ~ 5 projects/year; ~ 600k / year
funding
Relation internal/external funding n.a.
(besides staffing)

Science Number and kind of specific Similar to Funding sources (no

science/technology projects.
Number of new, innovative projects
Publication Number of overall published papers
by ATHENA staff/ Year
Number of peer reviewed
publications/ Year
Services Kind of services and absolute service
contract value
Kind of service within or for
European programs (non-research) &
contractual value
further external funding from
other sources
4-6 new projects / years
~5-7/year (journal publications)
~2-5/year (journal publications)
~1-3/year
Mainly Free of charge (less than
2000 euros per year)
0

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Networking Number of public; governmental & > 20 partners

academia partners in Cyprus
Number of public & academic > 40 partner
partners in Europe & internationally
Number of membership in European/ > 5 memberships
international organizations
Private Sector Number of private; company Partners ~5
cooperation in Cyprus
Number of private; company Partners ~5
in Europe and globally

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

5. Goals for the ATHENA Center of Excellence

The following table states the goals to be achieved for the mid term vision (i.e. the 5 years
road map for 2024) for the ATHENA Center of Excellence.

Item Measure/ Unit Mid Term Goal (2024) Numbers

Staffing Number of permanent staff;
number of-non-permanent
staff;
Number of guest scientists
Infrastructure Total office space in sqm
Total lab space in sqm
Major lab and instrument
infrastructure (items and
approx.. value)
Education Number of lessons
&curricula on ATHENA
topics/Year
Number of educational
events (also open for
externals); Summer schools
and the like/ Year
The permanent staff will ~ 6 permanent
be at least duplicated ~ 14 non-
while other researchers permanent
will support the actions of
the Centre
The offices and lab space ~ 200 m2
of ATHENA shall ~ 250 m2
increase by 25% from the ~ 1.65 m€
current status.
A new engineering lab
shall be created
ATHENA should 2-4 curricula
introduce a new university
curricula (in English)
dedicated to the topic RS 1-2 summer
and CH, also including a schools
summer school

Students Number of students/Year Number of students will See left

Number of masters-degree approx. stay the same, but
/Year better qualified and more
Number of Ph.D.- international
degree/Year
Percentage of international ~ 10%
students

Outreach Number of workshops; ATHENA should co- 1-2 workshops/a

conferences co-organized/
Year
Funding Overall basic permanent
funding
Number and overall value
of external funding
Relation internal/external
funding
organize at least one
regional workshop/
symposia on the theme per
year in Cyprus.
The external funding ~ 60k€/a
through grants, services permanent
and projects will at least ~ 1 mio€/a
double external
~ 1/10

Science Number and kind of specific The Centre will provide tbd
science/technology projects. new theories /
Number of new, innovative methodologies /

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D3.3– Report of the Gap Analysis ATHENA

projects algorithms in the field of

RS Archaeology
At least one new field of
research should be added
to the current portfolio
Publication Number of overall The number of scientific 7-10/year
published papers by publications shall at least journal
ATHENA staff/ Year be increased by 25% from
Number of peer reviewed the current status. 3-7/year
publications/ Year peer reviewed
Services Kind of services and The Centre will be able to ~ 2/year
absolute service contractprovide a wide range of externally paid
value efficient and time
Kind of service within oreffective services both
for European programs locally and regionally
(non-research) & At least one regional
contractual value service, with either public
or private funding should
be at the start of
ATHENA
Networking Number of public; Established and fruitful > 30 in Cyprus
governmental & academia network within Europe as
partners in Cyprus well outside the continent.
Number of public & Special attention to the > 45 in Euorpe
academic partners in Europe northern Africa and and
& internationally Middle East. international
Number of membership in > 8 organizations
European/ international At least three new partners
organizations in the ME region and one
new European
organization (e.g.
NEREUS) should be
achieved.
Private Sector Number of private; Strong collaboration with ~ 8 SME
cooperation company Partners in Cyprus the private sector and collaborations
Number of private; SMEs ~ 8 active
company Partners in Europe projects with
and globally At least two collaborations companies
with the private sector in
terms of working together
on a project or supporting
SMEs should be achieved

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6. Analysis of Gaps towards an ATHENA Center of Excellence

Item Analysis and Measures to close the Gaps

Staffing Here a statement how big the gap is;
what are major reasons for this gap and a couple of recommendations on
how to fill this gap.

Infrastructure to be provided in next release

Education to be provided in next release

Students to be provided in next release

Outreach to be provided in next release

Funding to be provided in next release

Science to be provided in next release

Publication to be provided in next release

Services to be provided in next release

Networking to be provided in next release

Private Sector to be provided in next release

cooperation

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7. Recommendations

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8. ANNEX (working)

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