Galileo Application Days Supported by ESA

- Get Inspired by the Innovative Potential of Satellite Navigation

NOORDWIJK, The Netherlands , Dec. 15 /CNW/ - The European Space Agency's Technology Transfer Programme Office (TPP) will be the official partner of the first Galileo Application Days which will be held from 3 to 5 March 2010 in Brussels . The event aims at promoting added value of the European GNSS programmes and fostering collaboration especially between SMEs and larger enterprises. The event's unique 'Application Village' will showcase innovations in an outdoor theatre consisting of different settings, such as the countryside, the city, the harbour or the playground. The Application Village will be the venue for a wide range of cutting-edge GNSS application and services demonstrations throughout the three days of the event.

The Galileo Application Days will set the stage for promising future applications and inspire development in six main fields: Location based services, road applications, precise positioning, public services, leisure and navigation systems development - all sectors where ESA TTP can boast start-up companies which have successfully completed ESA's Business Incubation Programme. Many of these techno-starters will be showcased in either the event's unique 'Application Village' or contribute with a presentation on their "success story", such as the Dutch start-up Bliin that developed a mobile social networking application that leverages the power of the open internet with location based services or sportsCurve from Germany whose real-time GPS tracking device enables the visualization of athletes at sports contests. The application demos and success stories will also include applications developed under the EU's 7th Framework Programme (FP7) and solutions nominated by the European Satellite Navigation Competition, for which ESA annually awards an innovation prize. This prize recognizes the most promising satellite navigation application to be implemented immediately and nurtured into a profitable business with the technical and financial assistance of one of the four ESA business incubation centers. The Galileo Application Days will serve as the high-profile launch platform for the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2010 and bring together industry stakeholders from the partner regions of this international ideas contest.

The programme also includes industry keynotes on the six focus topics, one-on-one match-making, elevator pitches for newcomers and give insight in global application development through round table discussions and plenary sessions. Furthermore ESA TTP will provide an insight into financing opportunities and tools for space spin-offs such as the ESA Investment Forum, which will take place in Stuttgart , 18-20 May 2010.

The Galileo Application Days are hosted by the European Commission and are being organised by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA) and the Application Center for Satellite Navigation in Oberpfaffenhofen - the managing organisation of both the European Satellite Navigation Competition and the ESA BIC Oberpfaffenhofen.

Participation is free of charge and registration is open on a first come basis at http://www.application-days.eu

Links: http://www.esa.int/ttp

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For further information: Donna Reay, European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA), Rue de la Loi, 56 (L-56, 08/85), B-1049, Brussels, Belgium, Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [email protected]; or Ulrike Daniels, Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, Friedrichshafenerstr.1, 82205 Gilching, Germany, Phone: [phone], fax: [phone], Email: [email protected]