[SatNews] The Satellite Applications Catapult, an independent technology and innovation company, is offering 10,000 pounds worth of business support to the winner of its Transport and Logistic Challenge, which is part of the Copernicus Masters—an Earth monitoring competition to help stimulate innovative solutions for business and society-based Earth observation (EO) data.
The Copernicus Masters’ competition, of which the Catapult is a ‘delivery partner,’ was initially launched as a European initiative in 2011 and subsequently developed into a global event in 2014. Its aim is to support the development of market-oriented applications based on EO data. The launch in April 2014 of Sentinel-1A—the first of the new fleet of European Space Agency EO satellites—begins a new era for applications in the entire geospatial value chain. Sentinel-1A is set to provide a wealth of data and imagery that are at the core of Europe’s flagship program, Copernicus.
Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, said, “One of the Catapult’s main objectives is to help entrepreneurs and innovators take their idea or solution and turn it into commercially viable product or service. The Copernicus Masters fits perfectly into this objective, hence our commitment to support this initiative for the next three years. On behalf of the UK and in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board, we have developed a challenge that invites anyone to create a new or innovative application and/or service which exploits EO imagery within the transport logistic domain. The winning proposal will be awarded a Catapult support package worth £10,000.”
The Copernicus Masters prize pool is worth 300,000 euros, which includes a cash prize for each challenge, technical support, data packages and business incubation. The overall winner—the Copernicus Master—will be selected from the winners of all Challenges, and will receive an additional cash prize of 20,000 euors, as well as business and technical support.
Tim Just, Head of Space for the Technology Strategy Board, added, “After 10 years of the European Satellite Navigation Competition, (formally known as the Galileo Maters) it is great to be able to provide the same opportunity to the EO community, enabling them to explore and develop ideas using the forthcoming EU space infrastructure. The Technology Strategy Board recognise both the potential and the challenges for new start-ups and small SMEs, and are therefore working with the Catapult to provide both technical and commercial advice.”
Last year’s competition saw 144 entries submitted from 23 European countries. The competition closes on July 13, 2014.
The infosite for additional information is located at https://sa.catapult.org.uk/