Dear Hüseyin Topan,
The Copernicus Masters competition 2016 is now open for submissions - with new challenges, renowned partners and an immense prize pool.
Since 2011, the Copernicus Masters competition has evolved into the leading innovation platform for promoting user uptake of Earth observation data in a commercial and societal context. It showcases new ideas and trends each year in serving as an integral part of an international innovation network. Over the past five years, Copernicus Masters has already selected a total of 39 winners from among more than 1,200 entrants from 60 different countries, who have submitted over 700 cutting-edge business ideas.
With support from its international network, the Copernicus Masters also aids participants in realising their applications and business models. This year's edition will once again feature challenges and corresponding prizes to be awarded by a series of prominent partners, including the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), T-Systems International GmbH, Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd., the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and Stevenson Astrosat Ltd. The University Challenge, meanwhile, will be geared specifically towards students and research employees. The prize pool includes cash awards, satellite data access and quota as well as support-packages and is worth EUR 300,000.
Geared primarily toward start-ups and other companies, researchers, and students, the competition invites entrants to submit their applications from 15 April to 18 July 2016 at www.copernicus-masters.com.
I would very much appreciate if you could forward information on this competition to your network of companies/students and/or publish the information on your website. Please find a short description of the competition for this purpose enclosed.
All information is also available at the competition website www.copernicus-masters.com.
Copernicus Masters 2016
Calling All
Innovators: Competition Seeks Applications Leveraging Data from Space
Visionary teams and individuals from the realms
of business, research, and higher education now have the chance to write their
own chapter of the Copernicus Masters success story. Geared towards entrants
from all over the world, the sixth edition of the biggest international
competition in the commercial use of Earth observation data is on the hunt for
outstanding ideas, applications, and business concepts that use such
information in everyday life. Renowned partners are sponsoring prizes in seven topic-specific
challenges. Along with cash prizes, the winners will receive access to a
leading international network, corresponding data, startup funding, and other
support valued at more than EUR 300,000 in total. The submission phase is
scheduled to end on 18 July 2016.
Information
from space – Earth observation data, and especially those from the European
Copernicus programme to be more precise – supports a tremendous range of
possible uses by public authorities and the scientific community. Thanks to new
developments in big data, cloud computing, and other areas, commercial
applications and other products in many sectors of the economy are growing more
and more proficient at handling huge quantities of information. Since 2011, the
Copernicus Masters competition has evolved into the leading innovation platform
for promoting user uptake of Earth observation data in a commercial and
societal context. It showcases new ideas and trends each year in serving as an
integral part of an international innovation network. Over the past five years,
Copernicus Masters has already selected a total of 39 winners from among more
than 1,200 entrants from 60 different countries, who have submitted over 700
cutting-edge business ideas.
"We're
very pleased to have seen the Copernicus Masters develop into one of the
engines of innovation in Earth observation in recent years. We believe that the
launches of additional Sentinel satellites will also continue to drive the
commercialisation of related services," reports Josef Aschbacher, Head of
Programme Planning & Coordination, Earth Observation Programmes Directorate
from the European Space Agency (ESA). "This competition is a first-class
initiative that gives visionary companies the boost they need to turn their
creative ideas into real-world solutions."
Startups profiting from Europe's Copernicus
programme
Based on
the Copernicus services and on the data collected through the Sentinel
satellites and the contributing missions, the European Earth observation programme
Copernicus produces a tremendous
amount of data and
information on global environments. The free and open Copernicus data policy
facilitates and encourages user uptake. Thanks to the Sentinel satellites' high
revisit rates up-to-date information is constantly available for any location
on Earth. This presents a great deal of potential, especially for startups and
SMEs. For proof, look no further than the following examples of ideas submitted
to past editions of the Copernicus Masters.
CyanoLakes – Public real-time information service
on blue-green algal blooms
The world’s growing population and
expanding large cities lead to an increasing demand of access to fresh water.
At the same time, millions of lakes and other freshwater bodies around the
world are threatened by harmful blooms caused primarily by blue-green algae
(also known as cyanobacteria). CyanoLakes, which won the Copernicus Masters
2014 Idea Challenge, offers a public information and warning service that
analyses satellite data using innovative algorithms and advanced research to
differentiate between harmless and toxic algal blooms. Through mobile
applications, the public service provides weekly updates, forecasts, and
real-time information on cyanobacterial blooms as a means of conserving and
protecting water ecosystems across the globe. It will also benefit those members
of our society who use water bodies recreationally, such as for fishing,
boating, and water skiing. “Having my idea scrutinised by the expert Copernicus
Masters jury was very valuable. It not only helped to precisely define the
business concept, but also encouraged me to start a business,” states Dr Mark Matthews, founder of CyanoLakes (Pty)
Ltd.
PUNNET – An innovative service in natural resource exploration
Paul Bhatia and Dr Andrew Sowter took home the grand
prize in the Copernicus Masters 2014 for PUNNET, an innovative technique they
developed for detecting and mapping land deformations with millimetre-level
precision. This procedure is capable of identifying land subsidence and
upheaval across large areas in mining regions, during groundwater extraction,
and in connection with drill holes. Among other benefits, this opens the door
to many new possibilities in the construction and oil and gas industries
(particularly for exploration companies), as well as for public agencies and
environmental protection organisations. Energised by their win and the positive
feedback they received from industry experts during the Copernicus Masters, the
team behind PUNNET resolved to take the next step in founding their own
company. Geomatic Ventures Ltd – a spinoff of the University of Nottingham –
has now been undergoing incubation at the ESA Business Incubation Centre
Harwell (UK) since March 2016. “As a pre-startup, winning Copernicus Masters encouraged us to take the
first step into the industrial realm. The credibility we gained in the process
enabled us to make rapid progress,” affirms Paul Bathia, CEO of Geomatic Ventures Ltd.
Building Radar – A satellite-based search
engine for construction projects
The startup
Building Radar, the overall winner from 2015, has also become part of the
international ESA BIC network. Using an algorithm its founders developed
themselves, this company's online platform identifies new building projects
around the world – a key feature for customers in the construction and
maintenance industries. Building Radar merges Earth observation data (including
optical data from the Sentinel-2 satellite), machine learning, and data mining
in an innovative way to offer an all-new service to these sectors. Here, satellite
imagery makes it possible to verify online search results and track changes in
specific construction projects. “The Copernicus Masters is a unique opportunity
to present your project to the international Earth-observation community,
engage with experts, and make some valuable new contacts,” states Paul
Indinger, managing director of Building Radar GmbH.
Support for
innovations on their way to market launch
"We're proud of the decisive role the Copernicus
Masters is playing in the commercialisation of Earth observation
services," adds Thorsten Rudolph, CEO of competition organiser AZO.
"Along with the increased interest the competition draws with each passing
year, you can see it in the constant rise in the number of startups at Europe's
ESA BIC facilities and the products and services they've come up with based on
Earth observation data."
With support
from its international network, the Copernicus Masters also aids participants
in realising their applications and business models. This year's edition will
once again feature challenges and corresponding prizes to be awarded by a
series of prominent partners, including the European Space Agency (ESA), the
German Aerospace Center (DLR), T-Systems International GmbH, Satellite
Applications Catapult Ltd., the German Federal Ministry of Transport and
Digital Infrastructure, and Stevenson Astrosat Ltd. The University Challenge,
meanwhile, will be geared specifically towards students and research employees.
The topics addressed by these challenges will include innovative uses of Earth
observation data in mobile apps, as well as energy and the environment, smart
cities and mobility, cloud computing, sustainable living and multi-data-usage.
Experts
from the fields of research and industry will be tasked with selecting the
winner of each challenge. All of the winners will be announced on 25 October
2016 and recognised as part of a festive Awards Ceremony in Madrid.
For all of the details on this year's prizes, partners, and terms of
participation, please visit www.copernicus-masters.com .
Additional information on the Copernicus
programme is available at:
Info day for Copernicus
Masters and ESNC scheduled for 2 June 2016 at the European Space Solutions conference in The Hague
Following the resounding success of last year's joint kickoff event, Copernicus Masters and the ESNC will bring their global networks for satellite navigation and Earth observation together once again in 2016. This year, the industry's most important stakeholders will gather at an information event scheduled to be held from 9:30 to 11:20 am on 2 June as part of Europe's biggest conference for aerospace-based applications – European Space Solutions 2016 in The Hague. For more information, please visit http://european-space-solutions.eu/space_innovation_for_entrepreneurs-16.
Following the resounding success of last year's joint kickoff event, Copernicus Masters and the ESNC will bring their global networks for satellite navigation and Earth observation together once again in 2016. This year, the industry's most important stakeholders will gather at an information event scheduled to be held from 9:30 to 11:20 am on 2 June as part of Europe's biggest conference for aerospace-based applications – European Space Solutions 2016 in The Hague. For more information, please visit http://european-space-solutions.eu/space_innovation_for_entrepreneurs-16.
AZO – an experienced organiser
Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) has been organising the Copernicus Masters competition on behalf of ESA since 2011. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, AZO supports product innovations and the creation of new companies, particularly in the field of commercial aerospace applications. www.anwendungszentrum.de
Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) has been organising the Copernicus Masters competition on behalf of ESA since 2011. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, AZO supports product innovations and the creation of new companies, particularly in the field of commercial aerospace applications. www.anwendungszentrum.de
