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The EU’s new space agency is looking for innovators to use data from satellites to inform and improve our lives on Earth.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme, or EUSPA, has launched a €32.6m funding call for projects using data obtained from satellites to improve society.
The call comes under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, which supports collaborative research and innovation projects that tackle global challenges.
The EUSPA budget has been divided into three separate parts. The first section has set aside €14m to help the EU fulfil its objective of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Proposals submitted under this topic should focus on developing innovative applications that support the Green Deal objectives and use data and services from Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus.
Galileo is the European global navigation satellite system, EGNOS is a European geostationary navigation overlay service, and Copernicus is the EU’s earth observation programme.
The second and third funding strands have both been allocated €9.3m each. The second one is centred around the use of data to inform safety and crisis management, with satellites being able to provide vital information to help mitigate natural disasters. Proposals submitted under this topic should complement the products delivered by the emergency management and security services of Copernicus.
The third and final strand focuses on leveraging satellite data for the digital age. It aims to accelerate the adoption of Galileo and EGNOS in mass and professional markets, rolling out applications that will address pressing societal challenges in areas such as health, citizen safety and security, mobility and the sharing economy.
Further information about each of the funding calls can be found on EUSPA’s website.
EUSPA was launched earlier this year as the successor to the European GNSS Agency. Its duties involve looking after the the EU’s governmental satellite communications programme as well as the management of satellite operations.
At the time of the organisation’s launch, EUSPA director Rodrigo da Costa said that Europe has “incredible opportunities” in the space sector that cannot be missed.
“This will be achieved primarily by leveraging synergies between the various programme components, particularly navigation, Earth observation and secure communications, to drive innovation across a broad range of sectors.”
In September, EUSPA also launched a €1m competition for innovators and entrepreneurs to develop and commercialise products that use EU space data and services.
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