31 October 2022
Students, entrepreneurs and developers will work together to solve real world space challenges at the upcoming ActInSpace competition at the University of South Australia’s Innovation and Collaboration Centre (ICC).
Co-organised by the French space agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA), ActInSpace is delivered by the ICC with support from the Australian Space Agency, Accenture and other industry sponsors.
The 24-hour event on November 18 and 19 is held simultaneously around the world, encouraging eager space innovators and creative minds to produce new solutions to real-world challenges set by partners like Airbus and CNES.
The challenges include fighting climate change with Earth Observation technology, mitigating space debris collisions, using satellites to detect infectious disease, and how to safely settle humans on Mars.
UniSA’s Deputy Director of Business Incubation Jasmine Vreugdenburg says ActInSpace is integral to building commercial space capabilities in Australia and beyond.
“The ICC brought ActInSpace to Australia for the first time in 2018 and, since then, we have seen competitors forge and develop their own space startups,” she says.
“This is why we love hosting ActInSpace here in Adelaide – we are encouraging local talent to look at the space industry as a viable career option, and then they become hooked.
“Yes, we are excited for the competition itself, but we also anticipate that some incredible space businesses will be developed thanks to this event.”
The ICC has produced international commercial space champions, with its team going on to win the global final in France in 2018.
“The ICC remains the only Australian organiser, so our winners this year will be crowned the national champions and will then go on to compete in France next year, in Cannes,” Vreugdenburg says.
“Our national event will also allow all our participants to connect with key space experts and business acumen, and they will then pitch their final solution to a panel of judges, including representatives from the Australian Space Agency and Accenture.
“We are really looking forward to the solutions they come up with and we hope to uncover the next big idea for the space industry, which will stack up against the rest of the world in France 2023.”
A total of 40 countries and 61 cities participated in the last event during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with 2300 people taking part in more than 530 teams worldwide.
This year’s event in Adelaide will be launched at 12pm on Friday 18 November with key sponsors the Australian Space Agency and Accenture.
Participants will then get to work, refining their ideas and solutions throughout the night before pitching their final proposal to the judging panel on Saturday afternoon.
The free event is open to anyone over the age of 18 with all meals provided. University students, postgraduate students, space enthusiasts, creatives and changemakers are all encouraged to register. Highschoolers are also able to attend, pending age restrictions.
Interested participants can register on the website actinspace.org.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Media contact: Georgia Minarelli T +61 413 314 726 E georgia.minarelli@unisa.edu.au
Event information: Samantha Dawes M: +61 457 289 282 E: Samantha.dawes@unisa.edu.au
