DATE: 29 September 2026

TIME: 09:30 - 17:30 CEST

VENUE: Centro Congressi Stazione Marittima, Naples, Italy

The European Space Agency (ESA) is pleased to announce the Space-to-Sea Solutions event in Naples on 29 September 2026. This free event, co-organised with the Italian Space Agency, will be an opportunity to discuss the vital role that space has to play in both the maritime sector and the blue economy. In the context of a sector facing new challenges, high-level stakeholders, representatives of authorities and economic actors will outline their needs and priorities, driving the development of innovative operational solutions, powered by space technologies.

The event will involve ports authorities, coastguard representatives, industry representatives, institutional authorities, research entities and key maritime stakeholders. The focus will be to discuss maritime challenges related to digitalisation and connectivity, safety, logistics and more. The event will also explore the central role of ports within the maritime ecosystem.

ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), an element of the ACCESS programme, supports the industrial ecosystem in the development of innovative and commercially sustainable solutions, enabled by space technologies. Numerous sector players and port authorities in Europe and worldwide collaborate with ESA through the Maritime Sustainability Task Force and an ad-hoc Space for Ports working group.

ESA BASS tailored funding opportunities specific to the maritime ecosystem will be presented during the event.

Networking and collaboration

The event will provide networking opportunities for attendees, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among institutions, regulatory authorities, technology providers, space and non-space industry players, and maritime as well as ports operators. By bringing together a diverse audience of stakeholders, the event aims to spark dialogue and inspire actionable ideas, demonstrating the essential role of space in the maritime sector while also match-making between demand and supply to shape the next generation of solutions.

Who should attend?

This exciting event will interest port authorities, coastguard representatives, service providers, industry representatives, research institutions, investors and other stakeholders from the maritime sector with an interest in developing or using space-driven solutions.

Registration

Please use the link below to register your interest in attending this event. Please note that any business or organisation considering applying for funding with BASS and wishing to attend this event must be based in an ESA Member State. All those registering will be assessed internally and confirmation of places will be sent as soon as possible. Places are limited and admission will be strictly for approved attendees only.

Deadline for registrations: 31 August 2026 or until maximum capacity is reached.

Agenda

09:30 - 10:30 | Registration

10:30 - 10:45 | Welcome and Opening Remarks

• European Space Agency (Nick Appleyard, Head of Commercialisation Acceleration Department)

• Italian Space Agency (Maria Libera Battagliere, Chief of the Italian Space Agency Task Force Space & Blue, ASI)

• The Italian Coast Guard Headquarters (ITCG)

10:45 - 11:50 | Navigating Tomorrow: Safety, Security, and Smart Logistics

• Keynote from European Maritime Space Agency (Peter Kirov, Head of Department Safety, Security and Surveillance, EMSA)

  
  

• Keynote from Italian Coast Guard (Captain (ITCG) Pierluigi Milella, Head Office, Safety of Navigation and Maritime Security Department, Handling of dangerous goods, Marine casualties and Port State Control Office, Italian Coast Guard Headquarters)

• Scaling innovation in Ports (Giuseppe Luppino, Programme Manager, ALICE)

• The Autonomy Horizon (Capt. Marko Rahikainen, Director of Regulatory Affairs, ONE SEA Association)  

11:50 - 12:20 | Space Funding Opportunities in Support of the Maritime Sector

• ESA ACCESS/BASS (Rita Rinaldo, Head of Applications Projects and Studies Division)

• Space Applications for Port and Maritime (Adriana Grazia Castriotta, Programme Manager, ASI) 

12:20 - 12.30 | Westbrook Racing - E1 Series Team

• Ana Agostinho, Sustainability Lead, Westbrook Racing

• Stefan Mühlbauer, Senior Innovation Manager, EOMAP 

12:30 - 14:00 | Networking Lunch

14:00 - 14:55 | Smart Ports Ecosystem: Balancing Space, Tech and Needs

Moderator: Enrico Spinelli, Applications Engineer, ESA

• Mike Dawson, People & Digital Transformation Director, Belfast Harbour

• Giancarlo Ferrara, INO IAM/U-space R&I Programme Manager, Eurocontrol

• Cosimo Cervicato, Manager Energy Saving, R&D and Ship Design, Grimaldi Group

'Space for PORTS Working Group' Announcement

14:55 - 15:15 | High Impact Activities - Italian BASS Testimonials

Moderator: Adriana Grazia Castriotta, Program Manager, ASI

• 5G MASS (Francesco Fraccalvieri, Area Manager Solution Sales IOT, 5G & Cloud, TIM Enterprise, and Paolo Pagano, Director of CNIT Laboratory @ Port of Livorno, CNIT)
•  I-CRANE (Clemente Fuggini, Senior Asset Development Manager, Rina)

15:15 - 15:50 High Impact Activities - European BASS Testimonials

Moderator: Roberta Mugellesi-Dow , Business Applications Manager, Telespazio UK for ESA

• IntMap (Remy Ntshaykolo, Director of Data, Greensee)
• Cache Net Zero (Dave Fox, Chairman and Sales Director, Geospatial Insight Ltd and Prof. Alan Wells, Director, Redshift Associates Ltd)
• Rumore (Tomas Zajc, SAR Specialist, Sarmap SA)
• MaSSha2 (Ivan Conti, Sales Manager and Agata Jolanta Dakowicz, Head of Marketing, Sternula)

15:50 – 16:20 | Maritime Digitalisation & Connectivity

• Keynote (Sergio Prete, Port Authority Delegate, National Observatory for the Protection of the Sea, ONTM)

• Engineering the Maritime Single Window: Lessons Learned and Next Steps (Stefania Coppola, Lieutenant Commander, Italian Coast Guard - ICT Department)

16:20 – 16:25 | ESA VDES Conference Announcement & Upcoming Funding Opportunities (ESA)

16:25 – 16:30 | ESA BASS Ambassador for Italy

• Eleonora Lombardi, Head of Department and ESA Business Applications Ambassador for Italy, Fondazione E. Amaldi

16:30 – 16:35 | Summary and Wrap-Up Session  

16:35 – 17:30 | Networking Drinks

Italian energy tech company i-EM has successfully completed a Demonstration Project looking at microgrid management and focusing on two communities in India. The MOWGLI project, carried out under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions programme and supported by Customized Energy Solutions India Pvt Ltd (CES), assesses the technical and economic viability of satellite-based services to support and improve the different phases of a microgrid project.  It builds on an earlier Feasibility Study which was supported by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

Microgrids are intelligent self-contained and independent energy systems which serve a defined local area and can operate away from centralised grids. Taking power from renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar power, or mini-hydro systems, they can also store energy. The MOWGLI project offers two main services which draw on a range of satellite asset-based information combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to develop digitised systems for rural microgrid services aimed at managing the whole energy ecosystem. 

MOWGLI TAILOR uses Earth observation imagery to optimise the sizing and design phases of microgrid facilities. By taking into account the local availability of energy sources and collecting and analysing this data in real-time, the system is able to offer renewable energy assessments and estimate consumption needs which inform the sustainability, scalability and stability of microgrids at the early design stages.  Once the microgrid is operational, MOWGLI MANAGER uses real-time monitoring to forecast generation and consumption levels and record grid activities. The data analytics also allow managers to pick up possible component faults early which can then be quickly remedied to extend their lifespan and save time and money. 

“We are very pleased to have been involved in this project, which not only has the potential to improve the lives and opportunities for people in rural communities but also offers the sustainable distribution of green energy in these communities going forward” said Cristiano Cialone who led the project for ESA.

“Having been able to develop services that foster energy awareness among operators and especially Indian local communities, as well as making our technology and knowledge available for the energy transition is a source of pride for us’’ said Ciro Lanzetta, CEO at i-EM. “Ultimately, our solutions are often seen as 'just' a dashboard, an interactive dashboard, but they are actually a vehicle to convey a change of culture on the use of data, even in a complex context such as MOWGLI.”

The project’s digitised approach to microgrid sizing, design and maintenance brings multiple benefits to communities in developing countries. Not only does it give rural communities access to stable energy supplies, but as a consequence facilitates improved health and education opportunities using satellite technology. By effectively exploiting a range of satellite asset-based information, i-EM has developed a system which has demonstrated significant time, cost and energy savings across the microgrid life cycle, from planning and implementation to operations and maintenance. As well as reducing design hours by 50-70% compared to conventional microgrid design processes, by using space technologies and data, the project found that efficient energy use meant that operating costs could also be reduced by up to 15%.

Commenting on the MOWGLI Project. Nitin Akhade from CES said “we are very happy to have collaborated with i-EM and ESA on the MOWGLI project, hoping to facilitate Indian rural electrification by means of sophisticated software and hardware platform and interactive dashboard for microgrids planning and installations, its periodic maintenance and to promote energy awareness among local communities for optimal use of renewable energy sources.”

The company currently has more than 800 renewable plants in 20 nations across five continents and is working with partners to expand its services.