European GNSS Agency launches MyGalileoDrone contest

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched its MyGalileoDrone competition on July 17. Design and development of drone-based applications or services, using a Galileo-enabled receiver, are the main targets of this competition. They should address the EU’s key priorities such as the Green Deal, and support the EU Recovery Plan for Europe.The deadline for submission is August 31.

The competition aims to tap into the EU’s innovative spirit. They seek to deliver services and applications which can contribute and boost Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and sustainability. The solution based on drone operations should also seek to add value by increasing accuracy, availability and robustness of position as well as integrity.

The contestants should focus on not only design and development, but also prepare their drone based application or service for a commercial launch. The solution should leverage Galileo to provide a position fix. The use of EGNSS should be understood in the broad sense, and kept in mind that Galileo can be integrated in the flying platform, the ground control station, or in other devices supporting the operation, such as a smartphone or even in the frame of U-Space services.

Pascal Claudel, Acting Executive Director at the GSA, mentioned that GNSS is a key enabling technology in this segment, ensuring robust navigation and reliability for a wide range of applications. The MyGalileoDrone competition aims to be the oxygen to European SMEs and entrepreneurs driving innovation. It expects to create jobs and growth in this promising market.

The competition is expected to be large in scale and a broad participation of national and regional ecosystems and research institutions from all Member States is natural.

EUR 100,000 will be rewarded as the first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition, with EUR 60,000 for second, EUR 40,000 for third, and a fourth prize of EUR 30,000.

Applicants can submit their applications until 31 August. The projects shortlisted to advance to the development phase of the contest will be announced on 15 September. The next step would be to create a demo version of their proposed application or service by 30 November.

In the finals, the selected teams will perform a live demo and pitch their ideas to investors. Mentoring and coaching will be provided to the applicants from recognised experts in the drone market. These experts will accompany them as they build their application, develop tests and be ready from the professional and business perspective to be able to attract investors and eventually move to market.

http://www.gsa.europa.eu