2011 European Satellite Navigation Competition

The 8th European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) is to be launched during a kick-off conference on 10th and 11th May 2011. The event, hosted by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) in London, is the first opportunity to learn about this year\'s competition.

The ESNC International Kick-off Conference will begin with a 'elevator pitch' on the evening of 10th May. Candidates can request the opportunity to present quick, five-minute pitches of their business ideas to a jury. This will be followed by a warm-up party on the Inmarsat premises, including guided tours of their Satellite Control Centre (SCC).

The Conference will be opened by Carlo des Dorides, the new Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency (GSA). Representatives of competition sponsors will introduce this year's ‘Special Topic’ prizes and discuss the benefits of ESNC for participants in 2011.

Participation in ESNC is part of GSA’s efforts to foster new applications for the European Satellite Navigation Systems - EGNOS and Galileo. The applications must provide economic and social benefit to Europeans and to European industry.

GSA is thus a proud supporter of the competition’s top prize, the Galileo Master, in addition to sponsoring, for the fourth year in a row, the Special Topic award for most promising EGNOS application ideas. Last year’s laureates Mobilizy won with their ‘Wikitude’ smartphone-enabled driver assistance system. The 2009 winners, Nogago, put forward a convincing proposal for leisure navigation software for smartphones, and a maritime personal rescue tracker application by SciTech won in 2008.

The event will feature an overview of financing opportunities and intellectual property rights issues, and perspectives on which sectors and application areas have the most potential. Previous competition winners will also be on hand to share their ESNC experiences.

ESNC is an international competition held annually to encourage market development of applications based on the use of satellite navigation, including EGNOS and Galileo. The jury considers the originality of the idea, its technical and commercial feasibility, size of potential market and time to market, and the credibility of the team’s management. Prizes include cash awards and the use of regional business incubation services.