Space for sustainability in sports and mass events

Funding Opportunity

This Call for Proposals invites feasibility studies and demonstration projects that leverage satellite technology to enhance the sustainability of sports and mass events. Proposals are encouraged to explore innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of large-scale gatherings, such as sports championships, music festivals, and conferences. Please refer to the 'Authorisation of Funding' section below to determine whether your team is eligible for this funding.

The Challenge

The global events industry is projected to grow from $1.14 trillion in 2019 to $2.05 trillion by 2032 at a 6.4% CAGR—and the sports segment alone expanding at 7.8%—there is a vast and rapidly growing market for sustainability solutions.

There is mounting pressure from fans, sponsors (who provide roughly 50% of event revenue), and regulators to adopt measurable environmental and social responsibility—combined with climate-driven operational risks such as extreme weather—has created urgent demand for tools and services that reduce carbon footprints, manage waste, and enhance event resilience.

Existing frameworks like the Sport for Nature initiative and similar music-festival programs highlight significant gaps in accurate emissions measurement, transparent reporting, and impact-assessment methodologies.

Topics of Relevance

Carbon Reduction

1. Sustainable Mobility and Logistics Solutions: Electric and autonomous transport solutions for large-scale events, minimising emissions from transportation. This includes real-time tracking of event-related traffic and logistics to monitor and reduce associated carbon outputs.
2. Real-time Emission Measurement and Validation: Measure and validate emissions directly attributable to events, supporting compliance with sustainability targets set by frameworks like the UN Sports for Climate Action initiative. 

Nature and Biodiversity Protection

1. Site Access and Environmental Compliance: Monitor and control site access, ensuring that only authorised vehicles and compliant materials are used. This would include tracking impacts on local landscapes, verifying adherence to environmental guidelines, and maintaining records of authorised activities within protected areas.
2. Sustainable Snowmaking in Winter Sports: Optimisation of snow production by assessing specific terrain needs, enabling significant water and energy savings through accurate planning and usage.

Circular Economy

1. Impact Monitoring of Hosting Locations: Measuring the impact of large events on green spaces, urban heat islands, and air quality. Tracking of traffic patterns, assessing how the event affects local transportation and nearby communities.
2. Supply Chain Sustainability and Waste Management: Track and analyse supply chains to ensure products meet sustainable production standards. Monitoring of Scope 3 emissions, reducing overall carbon impact through better resource management.

Sustainable Infrastructure

1. Sustainable Venue Planning and Optimisation: For temporary or demountable venues, satellite data can assist in environmental impact assessments, logistical planning, and efficient monitoring of construction sites to optimise resource use and support long-term sustainability goals.
2. Smart Infrastructure Upgrades: Satellite-enabled IoT sensors and smart building solutions can enhance existing facilities, improving digitalisation, monitoring, and sustainability while extending their functionality for future events.

Event Resilience to Environmental Impact

1. Weather Impact and Risk Assessment: Real-time monitoring of extreme weather events, allowing organisers to make timely adjustments to protect attendees and minimise disruptions caused by weather-related risks.
2. Air Quality and Environmental Changes: Measuring air quality data and assessing the impact of air quality on athletes and audiences, adapting event plans as necessary to maintain health and safety standards.

Value of Space

• Satellite Navigation (SatNav): Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can enable innovative applications for the tracking and tracing of vehicles and goods through precise positioning, navigation, and timing. It can be used to provide coarse to high accuracy positioning information based on the specific use cases. For instance, GNSS can enable various route optimisation solutions by providing real-time location data as well as flow monitoring of fans, vehicles and goods.
• Satellite Communications (SatCom): In remote areas where communication is lacking, SatCom provides the possibility of connection with IoT sensors - for instance to monitor air quality with local sensors or to provide alerts, such as emergency warnings for extreme weather events.
• Earth Observation (SatEO): SatEO data combined with advances in AI and machine learning, could be used to directly measure GHG emissions, measure traffic flow, movement of people, activities along points of the supply chain, identify infrastructure needs, and understand direct effects of the events in the surroundings like biodiversity. SatEO data can be used for the planning of the infrastructure and traffic flows. Additionally, weather forecasts can be used to anticipate adverse situations that can affect events.

What we look for

We look for promising business ideas addressing topics of relevance or related areas that propose:

• Attractive market opportunities, identified customer needs and customer engagement
• Commercially-viable service concepts
• Technically feasible solutions
• Added value of space data or technology
• Motivated teams with business, technical, and financial expertise

What we offer

We offer funding and support to companies, both for business case assessment and for the development of new, space-based services. Our offer includes:

• Zero-equity funding* 
• Technical and commercial guidance
• Access to our network and partners
• ESA brand credibility

*(50-80% depending on SME Status and Member State Approval)

ESA Tender Information

The initiative is open to the submission of proposals for Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects:

• Feasibility Studies - which provide the preparatory framework to identify, analyse and define new potentially sustainable services
• Demonstration Projects - dedicated to the implementation and demonstration of pre-operational services

How to apply

Step 1: Activity Pitch Questionnaire

The Activity Pitch Questionnaire allows you to present your business idea in a reduced, standardised pitch. It helps us to quickly assess your activity and decide on the way forward.

1. Download the Activity Pitch Questionnaire. 
2. Prepare your pitch and optionally consult with an ESA Business Applications Ambassador.
3. Submit your pitch as instructed here. You will need to sign up to the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) to submit your idea. 

Upon submission of an Activity Pitch Questionnaire:
•    We may share the submitted Activity Pitch Questionnaire with National Delegations for coordination purposes. 
•    We will assess your pitch.
•    We will inform you about the results and next steps.

Note: 
•    Before Full Proposal submission (Step 3), you must obtain authorisation from the National Delegations of the countries in which your and your partners’ organisations reside. We recommend liaising with the National Delegations as early as possible. 
•    For Italian entities, it is NOT required to contact the National Delegation (ASI), because ESA has been delegated by ASI to interface with the Tenderer in the whole stage of the bidding process. 

 

Step 2: Outline Proposal

If we accept your Activity Pitch Questionnaire, we will invite you to prepare an Outline Proposal for a Feasibility Study or Demonstration Project. 

1. Download the Outline Proposal Template for a Feasibility Study or Demonstration Project from the Documents webpage.
2. Prepare your proposal, elaborating on your pitch.
3. Submit your Outline Proposal to business@esa.int for evaluation, within 1 year from APQ submission. 

Upon submission of an Outline Proposal: 
•    We may involve external experts in the proposal evaluation to coordinate activities within ESA Member States and the European Union.
•    We may ask you to address clarification points originating from the Outline Proposal evaluation.
•    If all clarification points are sufficiently addressed, we will prepare a project dossier and request approval from our Steering Board, which meets quarterly.
•    We will inform you about results and next steps.

Step 3: Full Proposal

If we invite you to submit a Full Proposal:

1. Register your team on esa-star Registration today! If your team is made up of more than one organisation, each entity will need to register.
2. Download the official tender documents from esa-star Publication.
3. Prepare your proposal using the official tender documents and reach out to your National Delegate to obtain a Letter of Authorisation.
4. Submit your proposal via esa-star Tendering.

Upon submission of a Full Proposal:
•    An independent board will evaluate your proposal against criteria set out in the tender documentation.
•    We may ask you to address clarification points identified during proposal evaluation and invite you to a negotiation meeting.
•    Upon successful negotiation, we will send you a contract for signature and agree the project kick-off.

Proposals will be reviewed periodically. Therefore, tenderers are advised to submit their activity pitch questionnaires at their earliest convenience throughout 2025, rather than waiting until the final deadline.
 

Authorisation of funding

To qualify for funding, your team must be located in one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Lithuania, or Slovakia.

If your company is based in Greece, Spain, or Canada, eligibility for funding requires that your idea is related to 5G technologies or includes a significant element concerning Safety and Security.

Teams based outside these Member States are not eligible for this funding call.

The funding level for your team depends on authorisation from the relevant national delegations. Therefore, bidding teams must obtain Letter(s) of Authorisation from the relevant national delegation(s) before submitting a Full Proposal. If a team includes companies from different Member States, each entity must request a Letter of Authorisation from their National Delegate.

Contact information for each national delegate is available here.

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