The projects selected for acceleration in Track 1 and Track 2 of the #MyGalileoSolution competition have been confirmed. The 30 Track 1 projects and the 20 selected for Track 2 were chosen from over 200 applications and will share the almost EUR 1.5-million prize pool.
To remind you – participants in this year’s #MyGalileoSolution were invited to choose between four innovation areas before submitting their ideas to either Track 1 or Track 2. The innovation areas support the European Union’s priorities and cover crisis and emergency response, smart transport for the Green Deal, solutions for the digital age, and cybersecurity.
Spotlight on Galileo differentiators
Projects submitted with solutions for the digital age include applications based on blockchain, in addition to ideas using augmented reality in many application areas ranging from gaming and tourism to real estate and agriculture. In general, the ideas submitted are poised to make very good use of Galileo differentiators, especially the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) and the Galileo High Accuracy Service.
Ideas in the area of smart transport for the Green Deal include smart mobility solutions and applications to optimise public transport. Other selected projects propose new concepts for sustainable agriculture (vineyards, apiculture), carbon footprint monitoring solutions, and tracking applications for assets, humans and pets. Solutions based on drones and robotics were particularly popular.
Expanding GNSS community
There is a good geographical spread in this year’s competition, with applications selected from 22 countries, with France and Spain leading the pack with seven selected projects each, followed by Italy with four. We were also happy to see innovative applications from additional countries this year, including Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Cyprus. Most of the selected projects are start-ups or groups of students, along with a few established companies.
MyGalileoSolution in numbers
The vast majority of applicants this year applied to the GSA for the first time, which shows that we are expanding our GNSS community. What’s more, thanks to #MyGalileoSolution, four university spinoffs have been launched, creating business opportunities by translating research results into workable technologies that lead to market solutions.
“All the applications in this year’s competition were high quality, which made the selection a long and challenging process,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at the GSA. “All the selected teams have been participating in virtual progress calls with their assigned mentors over the last few weeks, and they are excited to have the opportunity to realize their dream products with the support of the GSA,” she said.
The projects selected for Track 1 will see their applications taken from idea to prototype. The idea is to develop a beta version of their applications or a prototype of their solutions, reaching at least 50% of functionality. Meanwhile, the projects selected for Track 2 will see their applications advance from prototype to product. In this Track, the projects start with a beta version or a prototype of an application and develop a fully functioning solution ready for commercialisation
#MyGalileoSolution is the biggest competition ever organized by the GSA, with a prize pool of almost EUR 1.5 million to be shared by the 50 teams, including six finalists, with awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000. The six winners will be announced on 2 March 2021.
Media note: This feature is republished with permission from the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The original article is here.