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The CASSINI Hackathons and Mentoring, initiated by the European Union is a series of six hackathons aimed to tackle global challenges using services and data from the EU Space Programme. In its third edition, this hackathon provides access to European space data and services from Copernicus, Galileo, and EGNOS to help participants take on various challenges and uplift Europe’s tourism industry. 

Europe’s tourism industry is bursting with potential. In the last four years alone, the continent has welcomed over 2 billion global tourists, providing a primary source of income for European economies. 

From the medieval streets of Prague and the beaches of Barcelona to the modern skyline of Oslo, Europe truly holds something for everyone. Because of this, the 3rd CASSINI Hackathon will focus on preserving these unforgettable destinations and how we access them. You will be challenged to develop ideas that support sustainable travel, enhance the experience in local cities and cultures, and promote thoughtful exploration of Europe’s nature.

The top ideas will be awarded at both local and EU levels, and the overall winners will enter a six-month mentoring programme that includes 100 hours of customised expert mentoring.

What’s the plat du jour? 

If you are a rising innovator in Europe, you are invited to participate in the CASSINI Hackathon at one of our ten locations. Each hackathon location features its own unique set of experts, prizes, and additional special features. Once you select a location, it’s time for registration, team formation and ideation! 

Your team will choose to solve one of three challenges, all related to the theme of European tourism:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

With over EUR 1 million in prize money on the line, #myEUspace is one of the biggest competitions ever organised by EUSPA. 

The #myEUspace competition supports the development of innovative commercial applications that leverage data coming from the EU Space Programme. To get there, it’s put over EUR 1 million in prize money on the table, and the best of the opportunities to create successful start-ups on the European market.

Targets and tracks 

Applicants could choose to compete in one of two tracks, depending on the maturity of their solution. Track 1 focused on taking an idea to prototype or beta version, whilst Track 2 was for advancing prototypes/beta versions towards commercial readiness. The #myEUspace competition called for ideas on a number of thematic topics to support innovation on Europe. The 6 targeted areas of innovation included:   

• smart mobility solutions 

• consumer solutions for health, gaming, sports, leisure, tourism and everyday life.

• solutions addressing environmental challenges, 

• surveying solutions to shape the future of geomatics 

• solutions that manage the variability of agricultural production  

• and finally, innovative solutions applying quantum technologies 

Now, after receiving more than 200 applications the results are finally in. 43 projects have been selected for their potential to bring disruptive, space-based solutions onto the European market. 

The shortlisted teams are working on a range of novel solutions, new technologies, mobile apps and hardware. While the solutions cover such diverse sectors as location-based services, smart mobility, geomatics and smart agriculture, they all share a foundation in their use of Galileo or Copernicus data as well as their synergies between the two space programme components.

“Space data is at the heart of the technological revolution currently sweeping Europe, and this competition is another example of how EUSPA supports innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs from across the EU who are leveraging Copernicus and Galileo data, information and services,” says Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director, European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). 

Click here to see the 43 semi-finalists

On to the development phase 

The 23 teams selected from Track 1 each received EUR 10,000, while the 20 Track 2 teams were awarded EUR 15,000. All teams will use the funding to continue developing their prototype or product. The 43 projects now advance into the development phase of the competition, where they will fine-tune their prototypes and products and refine their business plans. This intense nine-week phase culminates at the #myEUspace contest finals on 1 June.

During the finals, each team will have the opportunity to pitch and demonstrate their solution to invited guests. The winners of each innovation area will win an additional prize of EUR 25,000 and EUR 50,000 in Track 1 and Track 2 respectively.

#myEUspace is organised by EUSPA as part of the European Commission’s CASSINI - Space Entrepreneurship Initiative.   

Good luck to all the #myEUspace finalists!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).