For the 10th time, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) is calling for services, products, and business innovations that use satellite navigation in everyday life.
Under the motto “Take the Next Step with Your Business Case”, individuals and teams of entrepreneurs from industry, research, and universities can benefit from cooperating with partner regions worldwide and a number of key stakeholders – including the European Patent Office, a new partner in 2013.
The ESNC is once again inviting entrepreneurs from research and industry to present value-added business applications for the emerging satellite navigation market. The current market for satellite services – such as for mobility, health, or safety – is already worth more than EUR 100 billion, and is expected to rise to EUR 240 billion by 2020. The ESNC supports participating innovators in realising their applications and business cases through an extensive partner network that covers the technical, economical, and legal aspects involved.
“With one-third of the previous winners having founded a company and around 80% of the presented applications having been implemented, the competition has shown its ability to spur innovation and support the creation of new businesses in the emerging satellite navigation market,” confirms Thorsten Rudolph, managing director of competition organiser Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO).
“In recent years, the ESNC has proven very successful in creating added value for satellite navigation technology both in Bavaria and on a global scale. I have gladly taken on the role of patron once again in 2013, the 10th year of the competition,” states Bavarian State Minister Martin Zeil. In this edition of the competition, participants can choose between more than 20 partner regions worldwide. Each partner will award a prize designed to support its regional winner’s business case. In 2013, the ESNC is welcoming Flanders/Belgium, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany, and Norway as new partner regions.
In addition, leading institutional partners are offering special prizes in this year’s competition: the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European GNSS Agency (GSA), as well as the European Patent Office (EPO) and Metaio GmbH for the first time. Furthermore, students and research associates can submit their ideas to the ESNC University Challenge.
Both the regional and special prizes focus on helping participants take the next step with their business cases. This year’s ESNC prize pool is worth around EUR 1 million – including cash prizes, business incubation, coaching, patent consulting, prototyping and marketing support, access to customers and user communities, and publicity.
For this year’s iteration of the competition, the European Commission and the GSA have extended their financial support for the competition’s European partner regions and sponsors that will be passed directly on to the winners in the form of prizes. “Europe’s entrepreneurs, SMEs, and industry benefit from the vast ESNC network in promoting their business cases and launching their value-added products based on satellite navigation into this emerging market,” declares Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission.
The submission phase for this year’s ESNC is from 1 April to 30 June 2013. At www.galileo-masters.eu, participants and other interested parties can access all of the information on this year’s prizes and partners, the terms of participation, and a direct link to sign in to the database. The winners will then be recognised at a festive awards ceremony to be held in Munich, Germany, on 5 November 2013.
For further information, please refer to www.galileo-masters.eu
