If revolutionizing the use of satellite data is your cup of tea, the myEUspace competition wants to be your ramp. The program is organized by The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), building on the success of past innovation competitions. It aims to support space tech disruptors and entrepreneurs wanting to either develop or commercialize solutions to various societal challenges by leveraging EU space data and services.
What you need to know, in a nutshell:
- Solutions need to leverage EU space data from Galileo and/or Copernicus
- Entrepreneurs can join one of two tracks: turning an idea into a beta version, or turning a prototype into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- The prize pool totals €1 million across 50 awards, with prizes between €10K and €50K.
- Applications will stay open until November 15th, 2021, 23:59 CET.
myEUspace is part of CASSINI, the European Commission’s recent initiative to support innovative entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs in the space industry.
Solutions can span from mobile apps to hardware such as wearables and robotics. Yet the main condition is that they leverage space data from the EU’s global navigation satellite system, Galileo, or its Earth Observation Programme, Copernicus. The vision is to accelerate and expand the innovative use of space data, starting from Galileo’s accurate positioning and Copernicus’ high-resolution imagery.
To assist in the creation and marketing of original projects and services, the competition prepares two independent tracks, running in parallel with different objectives and deliverables. In track 1, teams are supported in turning theoretical ideas into a prototype/ beta version, articulate the value proposition, and explore the problem-solution stage through a validation test. Track 2 aims to help entrepreneurs develop a prototype/ beta idea into an MVP.
Space tech disruptors sought to tackle societal challenges
One of the objectives of the program is to expand the current horizon of space data applications. That is why they are scouting for new technologies across different markets, such as smart agriculture, smart mobility, geomatics, and quantum computing. Entrepreneurs are expected to focus on one of the following six thematic areas:
- Move Me Smart – Smart mobility solutions for any transportation mode that can improve efficiency, sustainability, and safety.
- Space Up My Life – Consumer solutions using space data for health, entertainment, tourism, sports, and everyday life.
- Our Green Planet – Solutions for pressing environmental challenges, living a sustainable lifestyle, and improving the footprint of consumption and production.
- Map My World – Surveying solutions that innovate in geomatics (Ed.note the collection and use of geographical data), rural planning, and smart cities.
- Farming by Satellite – Solutions aimed at solving urgent challenges in agriculture, such as managing production variability, improving crop yield, and reducing environmental impact.
- Dive in Quantum – Solutions that apply quantum technologies (e.g. computing, sensing, simulation, encryption) to enhance space downstream applications.
Projects will be assessed on five key criteria: innovation, market potential, feasibility, EU Space-relevance, and operational capacity of the team.
While we have you on the topic, make sure to check some of the existent space tech projects we covered. Back in June, The Recursive covered the story of Kuwait’s first satellite mission launch in partnership with Bulgarian EnduroSat, a space startup operating nanosatellites. Also, find out how EnduroSat received €10 million venture debt financing later in the year from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
