This year again, Czech innovation companies, entrepreneurs, research institutes and individual innovators can compete for the best idea for a terrestrial application of space technology.

Get Space Inspired contest aims to support the use of space technologies in non-space industries and to motivate companies to address their technological needs by applying know-how developed primarily for the space sector.

 

Awards

The competition will select and award 3 the best proposals for the adaptation (technology transfer) of space technology in terrestrial applications:

1^st place – 20 000 EUR

2^nd place – 10 000 EUR

3^rd place – 5 000 EUR

 

Who can participate?

Any company, entrepreneur, innovator, university or research institute based in the Czech Republic.

Application deadline: October 31, 2023.

 

How to participate

Get inspired by the know-how used in space applications and submit a project presenting its application in a non-space sector.

Use the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Patents Database or The European Space Software Repository (ESSR) as a source of technological innovations in space.

The space innovation used in the project proposal does not have to come from the ESA database, any know-how that has been used in space or has been developed primarily for space applications can be used. The requirement is the novelty of the terrestrial use of space technology.

Use the Get Space Inspired application form below to describe your idea for applying the space technology and submit it to SparkFunding@tc.cz no later than October  31, 2023. There is no required scope of information submitted, the competitor shall submit relevant information to best meet the evaluation criteria.

The application form will be a single document consisting of the cover letter, application form and any attachments. Please apply in English.

Received applications will be evaluated by an expert jury and the results will be announced during the Czech Space Week in November 2023, date to be announced.

• Cover letter and Application Form

 

Terms and conditions

Evaluation criteria for technology transfer projects

The criteria for evaluating technology transfer proposals are following:

• novelty and innovation of the application
• technological feasibility
• economic sustainability
• socio-economic impact
• implementation and business plan of the proposer

The organizer of the competition will propose the nominations of the expert jury and announce these nominations at the time of the closing date for competition proposals.

The jury only announces winners of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prizes and does not announce other rankings or evaluation of individual participants.

Competition rules

Technology transfer projects must be technologically and economically feasible applications of Space technology. The competitor shall describe the terrestrial technological problem and its solution by space technologies application. Provider of the space solution is ESA or any company providing its technology solution in space technology sector. Participation in the competition does not establish any contractual relationship between the competitor and the owner of the space know-how and between competitor and competition organizer either. The competitor is obliged to use only information available in public sources and databases.

The contest organized by the European Space Agency and its Technology Brokers suggesting to propose an idea of a space technology or patent applied in non-space solution revealed its winners. Two awards were to be issued at the occasion of Space2Business 2022, a voucher of 10 000 EUR to the 1st place winner and a voucher of 5 000 EUR to the 2nd place winner. 

A jury set up from the ESA Technology Transfer office, the Czech Ministry of Transportation, Czech branch of ESA BIC and Technology Broker decided to award the 1st place prize to SOLAR FOCUS project by Krištof Šaman. His idea presents a stowable reflective foil for solar panels based on ESA patent Deployment Mechanism for Solar Concentrators. SolarFocus increases efficiency of solar power plants on caravans, camper trucks and ships. This easy-to-use solution is compatible with current hardware, takes 20 minutes of installation time and remains low cost. The main value is 45% increase in solar efficiency.  

The 2nd place prize was awarded to THERMOSOLAR HIVE project by Jan Rája, Apis Innovation s.r.o. His project focuses on solving a mite problem: mites are world-spread insect killing every bee colony if no treatment provided. The chemical treatments are currently pesticides and acids. Mites are however becoming resistant to the current treatments. By placing Phase Change Material Compound patented by ESA on the top of a beehive, the bee colony becomes saved from mites in a specific temperature that will not let the mite survive. The proposed solution is ecological, self-sufficient and sustainable. 

Both projects proved to be innovative, technologically feasible, fostering sustainability and backed by a business plan.  

Get Space Inspired contest aims to support the use of space technologies in non-space industries and to motivate companies to address their technological needs by applying know-how developed primarily for the space sector. There are 2 prizes to be allocated, the first place will be awarded with 10 000 EUR, the second place will receive 5 000 EUR.

Application deadline: November 25, 2022.

The contest will select and award the best proposal for the adaptation (technology transfer) of space technology in terrestrial applications.

How to participate

Get inspired by the know-how used in space applications and submit a project presenting its application in the non-space sector.

Use the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Patents Database as a source of technological innovations in space.

The space innovation used in the project proposal does not have to come from the ESA database, any know-how that has been used in space or has been developed primarily for space applications can be used.

Use the Get Space Inspired application form below to describe your idea for applying the space technology and submit it to SparkFunding@tc.cz no later than November 25, 2022. There is no required scope of information submitted, the competitor shall submit relevant information to best meet the evaluation criteria.

The application form will be a single document consisting of the cover letter, application form and any attachments. Please apply in English.

Received applications will be evaluated by an expert jury and the results will be announced during the Czech Space Week event Space2Bussiness on November 29, 2022.

• Application Form
• Terms and Conditions

Evaluation criteria for technology transfer projects

The criteria for evaluating technology transfer proposals are following:

• novelty and innovation of the application
• technological feasibility
• economic sustainability
• socio-economic impact
• implementation and business plan of the proposer

The organizer of the competition will propose the nominations of the expert jury and announce this nominations at the time of the closing date for competition proposals.

The jury only announces winners of the 1st and 2nd prizes and does not announce other rankings or evaluation of individual participants.

Awards

The best space technology transfer projects will receive a financial award:

1st place – 10 000 EUR

2nd place – 5 000 EUR

Transfer of the prize money will take place within 60 calendar days of the announcement of the competition results.

Who can participate

Entrepreneur, university or research institute based in the Czech Republic.

Competition rules

Technology transfer projects must be technologically and economically feasible applications of Space technology. The competitor shall describe the terrestrial technological problem and its solution by space technologies application. Provider of the space solution is ESA or any company providing its technolgy solution in space technology sector. Participation in the competition does not establish any contractual relationship between the competitor and the owner of the space know-how and between competitor and competition organizer either. The competitor is obliged to use only information available in public sources and databases.