The winners of #T-TeC 2021, the third edition of Leonardo's and Telespazio's Open Innovation Contest, have been announced at the Italian Pavilion of Expo Dubai 2020 on 16 December, the first Italian "National Space Day".

The 2021 edition has seen over 70 students and researchers from 22 Universities and Research centers worldwide compete in the field of innovation, in areas that will mark the Space sector of the future.

The three winners and four special mentions, selected from among the 20 candidates presented by the jury composed of representatives of Telespazio, Leonardo, industry experts and leading space agencies, have been announced at the awards ceremony. €10,000 will be awarded to the winning team, €6,000 to those in second place and €4,000 to those placed third.

The contest participants presented their innovative solutions as they challenged each other on four different macro-themes:

  • Space Exploration
  • In Orbit Servicing
  • GeoInformation Applications and Platforms
  • Space Situational Awareness & Space Traffic Management

A committee made up of Leonardo and Telespazio representatives, members of the European (ESA), Italian (ASI) and Emirati (UAESA) Space Agencies, and industry experts coming from seven countries, analysed the 20 projects submitted assessing not only the innovative quality of the technological solutions presented, but also their sustainability.

 

The winners

1st Place

Team: Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy)

Macro-theme: In Orbit Servicing

Project: Multi- purpose modular satellite services

Prize: 10.000 euro

2nd Place

Team: Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad de Palermo, Universidad Buenos Aires, and Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (Argentina) Universidad Don Bosco (San Salvador), ETH Zurich (Switzerland).

Macro-theme: Space Exploration

Project: PULQUI XXI

Prize: 6.000 euro

3rd Place

Team: CNRS Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France), University of Siena (Italy)

Macro-theme: Space Exploration

Project: ESTATE (Elettromagnetic Skins in meTal By AddiTivE manufacturing)

Prize: 4.000 euro

The special mentions

In addition to the three winners, the committee also selected four special mentions, one for each macro-theme, chosen for their possible impact in terms of sustainability.

• Khalifa University (UAE) for the design of a wireless energy transfer system for drones
• University of Strathclyde (UK) for CASSANDRA
• University of Namur (BE) for CUSAT-WD
• University of Naples "Federico II" (IT) for PACLEAN

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