The Copernicus Masters Social Entrepreneurship Challenge is looking for solutions using Copernicus data that solve social, cultural, or environmental issues and generate a positive return to society. Participants of this challenge can be non-profit social enterprises, for-profit social enterprises, or hybrid-social enterprises. Submissions to the challenge can range in maturity, from idea through to a completed product or service. Further, the solutions submitted do not need to have a commercial application, but could still clearly provide benefits to society with the realisation of their idea.

Submissions are welcome in any relevant application field, including but not limited to:

• Cultural Heritage: Monitor and protect cultural landscapes, historic buildings, ancient monuments, city centres or archaeological sites.
• Environmental protection: Enable more sustainable environmental practises, such as urban planning, deforestation,
• Renewable energies: Support the management and further development of our natural resources for energy production.
• Public Health: Identify and monitor environmental factors that have an effect on public health
• Education: Provide Earth observation solutions to educate either the younger generations, or the general public about important issues facing society.

• EUR 1,000 cash prize
• Consulting package to develop your idea into a valid business case. Additionally, qualify your business for one of the 16 ESA BICs (worth up to EUR 50,000).
• Possibility to access EUR 10,000 worth of commercial datasets from the Copernicus Contributing Missions in the Copernicus Data Warehouse (financial support by EC)

Submissions to the Social Entrepreneurship Challenge will be evaluated against the following criteria:

• Societal Contribution: Does the solution provide clear benefits to society?
• Innovation: Does the solution demonstrate a novel application of Earth observation data?
• Copernicus Connection: Does the solution use Copernicus data to add value for end-users?
• Technical Feasibility: Does the solution apply Copernicus data in a technically feasible way?

AZO is an international networking and branding company for European space programmes, supporting entrepreneurship with more than 500 companies founded in Europe. Over the last 15 years, AZO has established the leading European space cluster innovation network for the satellite downstream market. AZO organises the “Innovation Masters Series”, the most important space-related innovation competitions: Galileo Masters, Copernicus Masters, INNOspace Masters, Space Exploration Masters