Held between September 8-12 in Brussels, the ESA Acceleration Days: Accelerate Urban Green Transition was organised in collaboration with the European Commission’s DG CLIMA and supported by a diverse group of stakeholders, including the Covenant of Mayors, the European Environment Agency, and representatives from the cities of Paris, Essen, Gävle, among others.
The competition brought together seven multidisciplinary teams united to tackle one bold challenge: to harness the power of AI and improve cities’ access to space-based data, projects, and solutions that support urban green transition and climate resilience.
ESA Acceleration Days: Accelerate Urban Green Transition was the second event in a new series of competitions which demonstrate the impact of rapid and open innovation to quickly co-create marketable solutions with end-users. Modelled after fast-paced competition formats such as hackathons and innovation sprints, the ESA Acceleration Days are in-person events where top teams compete to take forward their innovation ideas to help tackle Europe’s most pressing issues, with security and resilience as central pillars of its vision.
Context & Challenge
In alignment with Strategy 2040 and ESA’s vision to “Accelerate the Use of Space,” the ESA Acceleration Days are designed to foster new forms of collaboration and action both with end-users, and ESA partners. Today, cities and municipalities face growing pressure to become greener and more climate-resilient, yet many struggle to effectively leverage space-based data and solutions to support this transition. Participants worked closely on this challenge, to co-develop prototypes that empower and equip urban actors with innovative tools, transforming complex data into actionable insights for sustainable urban development.
A total of 27 participants joined the Innovation Sprint onsite, with additional team members connecting remotely to support the prototyping process. Representing five countries (Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland), the following companies competed in this edition:
- FEV.io
- BuildWind
- LETO SPACE
- LUP – Luftbild Umwelt Planung
- Latitudo 40
- AskEarth
- ReImagine Space
To support their work, participants were also provided with a curated dataset of projects in the urban domain leveraging on space capabilities and green initiatives to support the development of their solution prototype during the event.
Guided by Users, Driven by Innovation
ESA Acceleration Days: Accelerate Urban Green Transition also saw the support of a wide-ranging effort, as teams were guided by a group of dedicated 31 mentors, 5 facilitators, and ultimately pitched to 6 specialist jurors. Their expertise and engagement throughout the event played an essential role in empowering participants and ensuring the event’s overall success.
Beyond supporting the teams throughout the Sprint, many of the mentors also contributed insightful keynotes that enriched the event’s content and inspired participants. The keynote programme included a variety of partners, including representatives from the City of Paris, City of Essen, City of Gävle, Covenant of Mayors, European Environment Agency, European Commission, European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Solution Rewarded
The Sprint concluded with final pitches hosted at European Commission – DG CLIMA premises, where teams walked the jury through the journey behind their prototypes, highlighting the problem addressed and a commercialisation plan for further development. These presentations offered a clear and compelling view of each innovation’s potential real-world impact.
While all teams delivered impressive results in their prototype maturity, the winning project was the Spacegraph AI Compass, developed by the LETO SPACE team. The prototype stood out for its innovative approach to simplifying access to space-enabled solutions for municipalities. Addressing the challenges faced by small and mid-sized cities, such as fragmented information, limited resources, and language barriers, Spacegraph offers a user-friendly, multilingual platform that acts as a neutral broker between solution providers and city officials. The LETO SPACE team has now been invited to apply for an ESA Cooperative Agreement, valued at up to €100,000, to further develop this winning tool. This support will enable the team to refine their solution, explore its scalability, and bring it closer to real-world implementation.
Conclusion: Planting Seeds for Scalable Impact
ESA Acceleration Days: Accelerate Urban Green Transition demonstrated the power of collaboration, creativity, and space-based innovation in tackling urban climate challenges. By bringing together diverse teams and committed stakeholders, the event created a fertile ground for bold ideas to take root and grow into actionable solutions.
As the Acceleration Days continue to drive forward Strategy 2040, this event aims to bring together end-users, ESA partners, and industry around a concrete use-case to demonstrate how space capabilities can empower cities to become greener, more resilient, and more inclusive.
Discover the ESA Acceleration Days series