Competitions and opportunities

Biodiversity - Climate studies

As part of its Climate Change Initiative, ESA has launched a new call for research proposals which seeks to advance scientific understanding of the relationship between ecosystem health and climate dynamics - a crucial area for improving future carbon emissions projections, carbon budget assessments, and nature-positive actions in alignment with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement.

Status: The winners will be announced in June 2025.

Calibration and validation call for the Biomass mission

With this call ESA invites research groups to participate in Biomass calibration and validation throughout the mission lifetime. The invitation is open to relevant groups and individuals worldwide.

Status: The deadline for proposal submissions is 28 March 2025.

Climate Change and Cities: open tenders

Eligible organisations are invited to respond to the following research call aimed at advancing urban resilience to climate change through the application of Earth observation data. These research initiatives target city-level climate impacts, risks, and response options, aligning with the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SRCCC).

Status: The winners will be announced in June 2025.

Climate Change and Health: call for proposals

As part of its Climate Change Initiative, ESA has launched a new call to explore the role of Earth observation data in identifying, monitoring and reducing climate-related health risks. In particular, projects should examine how climate data derived from satellite observations can enhance resilience and support adaptation to climate change.

Status: The closing date for proposal submissions is 14 April 2025.

Earth Observation Excellence Award

The Earth Observation Excellence Award shines a spotlight on visionary scientific researchers and innovators who are pushing the limits of Earth observation technology to help address Earth science challenges. This prestigious award honours their commitment to harnessing European satellite data in their quest for groundbreaking solutions.

Status: Nominations will be announced in March 2025.

ESA Φ-lab Grand Marathon

Any innovator using Earth observation data to tackle climate change and public health challenges is invited to join the ESA Φ-lab Grand Marathon. Using advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, and blockchain, teams should provide solutions that are scalable and market-ready, especially those for predicting climate events and infectious disease impacts.

Status: Finalists will present their proposals at the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit

Past opportunities

CommEO Award

The CommEO Award is aimed at startups with innovative ideas, targeting the agriculture, decarbonisation and green finance markets. Selected applicants were invited to pitch their ideas at the second ESA Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum increasing their visibility to potential target markets, investors and industrial actors. The winners were awarded at ESA's Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum.

Copernicus4regions

Local and regional authorities across Europe, as well as companies and institutions, are invited to submit short stories showcasing how Copernicus data or services are being used to address local and regional challenges. This new edition of the initiative seeks to expand and update the already existing collection of 99 user stories from public authorities and service providers across Europe.

ESA Digital Twin Earth
ESA's Digital Twin Earth programme aims at bringing the latest Earth observation-based products, science results and capabilities to a pre-operational level and develop a comprehensive set of novel Earth observation-based Digital Twins Components, to demonstrate the potential value of Earth observation for the future evolution of DestinE.

IoT Space Challenge
ESA and hubraum are collaborating on a joint prototyping programme that combines the Internet-of-Things (IoT) with Earth observation data. The aim is to inspire start-ups and support them with access to ESA’s data and the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Workshops were held at hubraum’s campuses in Berlin and Krakow. 

Little Pictures Competition
ESA invites artists and enthusiasts to transform decades of satellite climate data into impactful visuals to help bridge the gap between climate science, policy makers and the wider public. The winner presented its data visualisation at the UN COP28 climate conference in the United Arab Emirates.