In the frame of the European Union’s CASSINI (Competitive Advantage of Space Startups for Innovation) Initiative, the European Commission and EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme) jointly organise a competition called CASSINI Challenges, which has a total prize pool 1.15 M euros. This edition is on the search for innovative, space related solutions and ideas that could help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. Join the exclusive info session for the ESA BIC & SBIC Noordwijk community on 14 Jan 2025 to discover more about the three different tracks and how to enter. Register now
The following is a re-post of a news release from the EUSPA website:
Addressing commercial, social and environmental challenges
The European Commission and EUSPA’s competition CASSINI Challenges aims to promote the use of space technologies to address pressing commercial, social and environmental challenges.
Rodrigo da Costa, the executive director of EUSPA, explains: “By applying space technologies to non-space industries, we aim to inspire innovation, cultivate ideas and deliver solutions that will ultimately benefit citizens and businesses across all industry sectors,” says.
The theme of the current edition is “Make it with Space” and applicants to the competition will be competing for over 1 M euros in prize money.
Calling visionaries, innovators and entrepreneurs
This exciting, innovation competition calls for your space related ideas, prototypes and products. Submissions are welcomed in one of three tracks:
- Visionary Track – for submission of an idea
- Innovator Track – for submission of a prototype
- Entrepreneur Track – for submission of a product
Regardless of which track participants compete in, all applicants must use space technologies, such as satellite navigation [i.e. relevant EU Space Programme components: Galileo, EGNOS (Earth Gravitational Navigation Overlay System)], Earth observation (Copernicus, for example), secure satellite communication, space surveillance and tracking or any combination thereof.
Showcasing the potential of space technology
Submissions will be evaluated based on their technology excellence, level of innovation and commercial potential, among other criteria. All submissions should also demonstrate how they will advance the EU Space industry, enhance its global competitiveness and showcase the vast potential for using space technology across several industries. The prize money will be split between the various tracks:
- 15 top ideas for the Visionary Track will receive a prize of 10,000 euros
- 10 best prototypes for the Innovator Track will receive a prize of 30,000 euros
- 7 winning products for the Entrepreneur Track will receive a prize of 100,000 euros
The winners will be announced during the CASSINI Entrepreneurship Day scheduled in June 2025. This competition is part of CASSINI, the European Commission’s initiative supporting entrepreneurs, startups and small–medium enterprises to develop innovative applications and services that leverage the EU Space Programme.
This is an edited version of the news release from the EUSPA website.
2025 INFO SESSION – Find out how the EU can boost your space startup:
Register now for the upcoming info session with Peter Vaník, a consultant at EUSPA, to find out all about the competition. By submitting your innovations, you are in with a chance to boost your space startup! Whether you are beginning your space journey, launched a startup or are at the phase scaling up, exciting opportunities are open to you. Join us to find out about the competition’s three tracks – ideas, prototypes and products – as well as the requirements, resources and deadlines. Find out more by joining us on 14 January (click the visual for details). Those in our community are eligible to join this event for free; if you aren’t a member yet, you can join here.
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