Thematic Call For Proposal
Thematic call in the frame of the standard call for proposal AO/1-10494.
Applications can be submitted anytime.
The Thematic Call for proposals aims at supporting new space-based services for the digital transformation and sustainability of the sport sector, specifically in the organisation, management, and further exploitation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It primarily targets the next Games in Europe - Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026, with the ambition of providing services for the future Games as well, ensuring continuity of the sustainability model.
Both Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 have committed to deliver net-zero events with a strong engagement of the communities, and these new challenges require investments in innovation, where space can offer ubiquitous information and connectivity in support of a punctual as well as long term perspective. New services are required for the preparation phase before the Games, during the event itself, and in the post-event phase for the most efficient exploitation of the critical infrastructures, the safe and fun engagement of the fans, and the environmental sustainability of the events.
Examples of possible use cases are provided below in the Scope, either focused on a specific edition of the Games, or considered as common to all the future editions.
The topics of interest have been derived after several interactions with key stakeholders of the sector, including:
- Olympic committees (e.g. Paris 2024, Infrastrutture per Milano Cortina 2026, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026);
- other sports Federations (e.g. Italian Taekwondo Federation);
- partners of the Olympic Games (e.g. Atos and Omega);
- innovation hubs for acceleration of technology uptake in the sport industry: European Platform for the Sport Innovation EPSI, Global Sport Innovation Centre GSIC)
Scope
Given the extreme visibility and relevance of the Olympic Games, the proposed applications must demonstrate robustness and reliability. A fast and short-term implementation of the proposed application is subject to a proved maturity and integrity of the service.
A longer development and validation process should be built on a sensible plan potentially involving more events and Games editions to support the final deployment of the service, where one edition of the Games or a major sport event could be used as a test-bed before operational deployment of the service.
A continuous use of the proposed service throughout subsequent Games is encouraged, as well as the implementation of a continuous learning approach from one edition to the other.
Some of the needs are shared across the whole sport industry, especially regarding competition events. Applicability of the proposed service to different major sports events is encouraged and should be taken into consideration.
Each proposed service should assess its economic viability for the service provider and the cost-benefit analysis of the potential customers (e.g. the Olympic Committees).
Topics Of Interest Include (Non-exhaustive List):
Sustainability:
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Services around construction sites
- Smart and green (Olympics) cities
Smart management of the event:
- Crowd management, first response and management of emergency events, public safety
- Event management
Engagement with fans
Performance: Athletes’ preparation and training
Specific use cases of the stakeholders partner of the call
- ATOS
- Italian Taekwondo Federation
- Swiss Timing
Details are in the Annexes available for download on this page.
Value Of Space
To achieve the objectives and address the above areas, the proposed services shall leverage on space assets, such as:
Satellite Navigation (SatNav):
- supports geo-localisation of vehicles and routing to events and facilities, mapping of the position/velocity of the athletes during training for performance improvement, or during competition for results assessment
Satellite Communications (SatCom):
- enables the provision of connectivity to enhance the communication links of the facilities, connectivity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for the monitoring of the event parameters, support of remote locations selected for specific sports (e.g. Tahiti for Surf, Mountains in the Winter Olympics)
Earth Observation (SatEO) including weather:
- monitoring of the status of the working sites, collect information on geographical and environmental parameters for the sustainability analysis, integration of environmental data into the athlete performance assessment
Human Spaceflight:
- technology transfer of health/life parameters sensors, innovative textiles, algorithms for the physical status assessment
In addition to space assets other innovative technologies such as Web 3.0, AR/VR, AI/ML, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cyber secure digital technologies, robotics, unmanned/remotely piloted transportation systems such as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV), etc. can be used if relevant to the identified use cases.
How To Apply
The thematic call offers the opportunity to companies to bring forward their business propositions, which will leverage on space assets to support the digital transformation and sustainability of the next Olympic Games.
For this thematic call, companies residing in the following Member States will be eligible to apply: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Economic Operators, intending to respond to this Thematic Call are requested to inform their National Delegations of their intention to submit a proposal as soon as possible, prior to the submission of the Outline Proposal.
Contact information can be found under: National Delegations.
- Step 1: Activity Pitch Questionnaire
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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.
- Download the Activity Pitch Questionnaire.
- Prepare your pitch and optionally consult with an ESA Business Applications Ambassador.
- Submit your pitch as instructed in the Activity Pitch Questionnaire, through the form online.
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
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If we accept your Activity Pitch Questionnaire, we will invite you to prepare an Outline Proposal for a Feasibility Study or Demonstration Project.
- Download the Outline Proposal Template for a Feasibility Study or Demonstration Project from the Documents webpage.
- Prepare your proposal, elaborating on your pitch.
- 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
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If we invite you to submit a Full Proposal:
- 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.
- Download the official tender documents from esa-star Publication.
- Prepare your proposal using the official tender documents and reach out to your National Delegate to obtain a Letter of Authorisation.
- 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.