Deadline Date: January 04, 2026
The European Space Agency’s Φ-Lab has launched the 2nd Grand Marathon, a challenge that calls innovators to design next-generation AI-enabled Earth Observation (EO) concepts for civilian protection in conflict and disaster zones.
Focus Areas: Civilian populations in conflict and disaster zones are exposed to sudden, short-lived events: explosions, fires, toxic emissions, or flare-like signals marking renewed hostilities. ESA Φ-lab Grand Marathon 2025 invites innovators from companies, agencies, NGOs, and other institutions to design next-generation Earth Observation concepts dedicated to resilience and humanitarian support in conflict or disaster areas. Ideal solutions are compact, scalable, and field-ready, with a focus on technologies using AI-enabled EO concepts or methods to detect, characterise or confirm short-lived hazards such as explosions, fires, toxic emissions, rapid infrastructure damage, etc. They should be powered by AI/ML, on-board/edge processing, novel sensors or smart tasking, delivering near-real-time, trusted information layers for humanitarian agencies and civil protection actors, while showing a clear potential for business and real-life applications.
The ESA Φ-Lab 2nd Grand Marathon aims to push the limits of Earth Observation technology by encouraging the development of faster and smarter crisis-monitoring systems from space. Traditional EO systems often struggle to detect short-lived or unpredictable hazards, making it essential to explore innovative AI-driven approaches that can enhance real-time civilian protection.
The challenge is open to startups, companies, agencies, NGOs, and research institutions from ESA Member States, including Associate and Cooperating Members, regardless of their development stage—from early research to commercialization. The Marathon offers an opportunity for participants to present solutions that can detect heat flashes, fire fronts, chemical emissions, and structural damage through advanced sensors, data fusion, and automated decision-support tools.
Participants stand to benefit from substantial financial rewards, with prizes of up to €215,000 for the top teams. Beyond monetary support, the winners will gain global exposure by pitching their innovations on stage at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam in June 2026 and presenting at an official ESA event. Additional benefits include expert coaching from Hello Tomorrow specialists and exclusive networking opportunities with ESA Φ-Lab’s Earth Observation community.
The Marathon follows a structured, milestone-based format, starting on October 22 and concluding on June 12, 2026. Each stage—referred to as a kilometer marker—represents a new phase of the competition, where selected teams must deliver outputs aligned with their project goals. The final winner will be announced at the end of the event.
ESA Φ-Lab continues to accelerate the future of Earth Observation through disruptive innovation and commercialization, bridging the gap between creative ideas and impactful, market-ready applications.
For more information, visit Hello Tomorrow.
