Awards Available for Galileo-enabled Applications

From 1 April to 30 June 2016, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) - the largest international competition for the commercial use of satellite navigation - will be looking for outstanding ideas and business models. Renowned institutions and regional partners are set to award prizes worth a total of EUR1 million in more than 25 categories.

In our modern, data-driven economy, satellite navigation is a crucial technology that facilitates constant and reliable object localisation - the bedrock of the Internet of Things. Since 2004, the ESNC has evolved into a leading fixture in the New Space Economy by provided a public innovation platform for turning promising ideas into market-ready products. Each year, the competition unveils new trends and more than 500 business ideas. It has already awarded prizes to more than 270 winners over the years, which represent just a fraction of the nearly 3,500 innovative concepts submitted by over 10,000 total participants. Through a one-of-a-kind network that includes the ESA Business Incubation Centres and other incubators across Europe, the ESNC plays a decisive role in the realisation of these ideas by supporting the foundation of startups and creating high-tech jobs.

Civilian UAVs: a Growth Market

Drones have quickly transformed from novel objects of leisure to serious business tools. In order to operate safely, drones rely on satellite navigation signals such as GPS and Galileo for precise positioning and orientation. They thus represent a promising growth market for global satellite navigation systems (GNSS).

The drone trend has also emerged in the ideas submitted to the ESNC, which selected a drone application - POSEIDRON - as its overall winner for the first time in 2015. Developed by the Spanish startup Sincratech Aeronautics, this multicopter is equipped with infrared cameras and uses the European positioning service EGNOS to save lives at sea.

Accelerate Market Launch

This year's winners will take home prizes worth a total of EUR1 million and be welcomed into the ESNC's leading innovation network for global satellite navigation systems. Along with cash, the various prize categories on offer primarily include technical, business-related, and legal support in realising the winning business models. A jury of international experts from the realms of research and industry will also evaluate the winners of all the categories to select an overall winner, who will be revealed at the festive Awards Ceremony.

Those who enter the ESNC also stand to benefit greatly from the opportunity to work closely with leading institutions and regional partners. The ESNC is geared towards individuals and teams from companies, research facilities, and universities around the world. Those interested can enter the competition from 1 April to 30 June 2016.

ESNC and Copernicus Masters Info Day

Following the resounding success of last year's joint kick-off event, the ESNC and Copernicus Masters will bring their global networks for satellite navigation and Earth observation together once again in 2016. This year, the industry's most important stakeholders will gather at an information event scheduled to be held from 9:30 to 11:20 am on 2 June as part of Europe's biggest conference for aerospace-based applications - European Space Solutions 2016 in The Hague.

Those interested will also have further opportunities to meet the ESNC's organisers and their partners at numerous regional kickoff events across Europe in April and May.