Global Space Markets Challenge

What is the Global Space Markets Challenge?

The Global Space Markets Challenge is a new competition launched by ESA with the operational and technical support of EURISY, a European non-profit association of over 15 national space agencies and other organisations involved in space activities. The Global Space Markets Challenge is also sponsored and supported by some of the major European space-focussed Venture Capital funds including SERAPHIM Capital and Primo Space.

The Challenge's objective is to select, amongst all applicants, the six Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) in the space sector (3 in the upstream and 3 in the downstream area) which submit the most promising and convincing internationalisation plans for their products and/or services.

The Challenge aims at giving visibility to SMEs which have internationalisation ambitions and are developing products and/or services for the upstream or downstream space sector with potential for introduction to Target Markets. A "Target Market" is a country other than a European Union Member State, an ESA Member State or Canada, where the products, applications or services developed by competition applicants could find potential customers, either institutional and/or commercial.

In the context of the increasingly important role played by SMEs, in particular in the European space sector, ESA is striving to encourage and support the growth of these companies so that they have increased chances to have access to finance, information, and contacts, and, more generally, to promote their capabilities and know-how, in Europe and abroad.

With the ESA Global Space Markets Challenge, SMEs now have a novel opportunity to present their plans to introduce their space products and/or services to identified target markets and, for the winners, to benefit from awards and support that help them reach these markets.

The competition is launched under the General Terms and Conditions for participation to the ESA Global Space Markets Challenge. Participation of applicants is subject to acceptance of these General Terms and Conditions and of the documents referenced therein.

Who can apply?

Eligibility criteria:

Nationality

Your company must belong to one of ESA's Member States, Canada (as Cooperating State), Slovenia, Latvia or Lithuania (as Associate Member States).

SME

Your company must be a small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) in consideration of the criteria provided by the European Commission (EC) in its Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003.

Ownership

Your company must have as majority stakeholders companies incorporated and operating under the laws of one of ESA's Member States, Canada (as Cooperating State), Slovenia, Latvia or Lithuania (as Associate Member States), or natural persons that are nationals of such countries.

Types of product & services

Your company must develop products and/or services for the upstream or downstream space sector.

Peaceful purposes

Your products and services promoted within the ESA Global Space Markets Challenge must be for peaceful purposes only (e.g. scientific and/or commercial purposes).

Additional criteria

Additional criteria and further details are provided in the Challenge's General Terms & Conditions.

Winners & Awards

Upstream winners

1^st

ESA mentoring programme
15.000 €
Company booth at ESA Industry Space Days
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

2^nd

ESA mentoring programme
10.000 €
Company booth at ESA Industry Space Days
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

3^rd

ESA mentoring programme
5.000 €
Company booth at ESA Industry Space Days
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

Downstream winners

1^st

ESA mentoring programme
15.000 €
Virtual Reality Package
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

2^nd

ESA mentoring programme
10.000 €
Virtual Reality Package
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

3^rd

ESA mentoring programme
5.000 €
Virtual Reality Package
Prestigious 3rd party event attendance (incl. reimbursement of travel expenses and conference fees)

ESA mentoring programme

In light of the expertise available at ESA and of the awards granted to the winners, ESA will design, with the assistance of each winner, a prospective mentoring programme addressing the specific needs of each winner to their internationalisation plans.

Prestigious 3rd party event attendance

All winners will be given the opportunity to attend a prestigious event where each winner will have the opportunity to present itself as well as its products and/or services. The 3rd Party event currently foreseen is the International Astronautical Congress of October 2021 in Dubai (IAC 2021).

Virtual Reality Package

The top 6 companies in the Downstream category (including the 3 winners in this category) will be offered by EURISY the opportunity to have the presentation of their company’s activity as well as that of the products and/or services presented at the IPE-WG embedded in a Virtual Reality tool and in a EURISY video, to be presented at ESA or EURISY roadshows and booths and international events and fairs. The EURISY Video will also be available through an associated EURISY website.

Discover Eurisy

ESA Industry Space Days booth and attendance

The winners of the Upstream category will be given the opportunity to attend an event organised by ESA. The ESA event currently foreseen is the next edition of the ESA Industry Space Days. The winners of the Upstream category will be offered a company booth at this event to present their company as well as their products or services to potential customers.

Timeline of the Challenge

An eye on the process

Submit your application between 10 May and 30 July 2021 (23:59 CEST)
Check on the ESA website whether your company has made it on to the longlist of your category (25 companies in the upstream area and 25 companies in the downstream area)
Top 12 SMEs (6 upstream and 6 downstream) will be notified by ESA and invited to present their internationalisation plans to delegates in the Agency’s Industrial Policy Evolution Working Group (IPE-WG)
IPE-WG delegates will select the six best placed Applicants: 3 for the upstream category and 3 for the downstream category
ESA Director General will nominate the winners and grant the awards

How will my application be evaluated?

For the purpose of the competition, applications will be evaluated by taking into account the following criteria:

Selection Criteria

Technical merit and credibility of product or service – (25%)
Demonstrated understanding of Target Market(s) and suitability of product/service for the Target Market(s) (markets, users, competitors, stakeholders to be engaged, own information gaps identified). Demonstrated understanding of potential internationalisation challenges and risks. Discussion of problem areas and elaboration of potential response/mitigation measures (regulatory issues, market risks, credit/currency risks, political risks, etc.) – (35%)
Suitability of implementation plan in terms of envisioned market entry strategy, internationalisation operations, marketing and sales – (20%)
Adequacy and credibility of cost estimations, schedule and planning – (10%)
Team (skills, resources and experience) – (10%)

More details on the eligibility criteria, application process and selection criteria can be found in the competition's General Terms and Conditions.

Submit your application

Are you an eligible company and would you like to apply to the ESA Global Space Markets Challenge? Fill in the online application form and submit the following documentation:

A filled in application template, providing the requested details about your company's internationalisation plan to take your product and/or service for space to your chosen target market
A compliance statement confirming your company's compliance with the eligibility criteria set out in the General Terms & Conditions of the competition and your adherence to these T&Cs (including a filled in SME self-certification form)
A copy of an official State document confirming the incorporation of the company and its corporate information