Tuesday, January 28th, 2025
On 22 January 2025, ALICE and the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted a joint webinar supported by the DISCO & DELPHI projects to explore funding opportunities under the ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme. The event provided participants with insights into ESA’s open calls for proposals, shared practical experiences from funding beneficiaries, and outlined the transformative potential of space technologies for logistics and intermodal transport. Below are the key takeaways and insights from the session.
ESA’s BASS programme: strategic objectives and funding opportunities
ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme supports European companies – from start-ups to large enterprises – to develop and validate commercially sustainable applications or services in any sector using space technologies. Examples of these technologies include:
Key highlights of the BASS programme
Funding schemes:
Eligibility:
Support beyond funding:
ESA provides coaching, branding and access to an interactive and staged application process.
Main open and upcoming calls:
Key success factors for proposals:
Case studies: Impact of ESA’s BASS programme
The webinar featured testimonials from three organisations that have successfully used ESA funding to develop innovative solutions in logistics and transport:
Ovinto: Monitoring dangerous goods via satellite
Friedrich Ronse, Founder & Executive Director of Ovinto, explained how ESA funding helped transform the company from a small start-up into a major player in the rail freight monitoring of dangerous goods. Initially, Ovinto faced the challenge of monitoring dangerous wagons without traditional GSM due to explosion risks. With the support of ESA, they developed a satellite-based monitoring system that tracks critical parameters such as pressure, temperature and location to ensure the safe transport of dangerous goods. Today, Ovinto works with leading chemical companies and has an annual turnover of €4 million. Its latest ESA-supported project, Scope 3 emissions tracking, uses real-time data from all modes of transport to improve sustainability reporting. Friedrich highlighted that ESA’s credibility opens doors to large industrial customers and supports long-term business growth.
Valerann: AI-powered traffic management
Michael Vardi, Co-Founder & CBO of Valerann, explained how ESA funding enabled this AI startup to pivot from a hardware to a software-focused business model. Valerann’s platform integrates data from cameras, connected vehicles and social media to detect and respond to road safety incidents faster and more accurately. With coaching and funding from ESA, Valerann developed a solution that reduced response times by 17 minutes, detected 40% more critical events, and achieved a 10-15% reduction in road accidents on supported networks. Michael credited ESA’s user-driven approach and flexible support with enabling Valerann to develop a commercially viable, life-saving solution that is now being used on roads worldwide.
Bluepulse: geofencing maritime terminals
Luc Terral, Co-founder & CEO of Bluepulse, described how ESA funding helped his team map 1,000 maritime terminals worldwide using satellite imagery and AI. The project created 100,000 geofences to track container movements and optimise supply chain visibility. The geofencing technology is now being used by clients such as SeaCube, the world’s largest reefer container leasing company, to provide real-time tracking and accurate Scope 3 emissions reporting for shipments. Bluepulse’s solution breaks down multimodal transport into individual legs, enabling more accurate CO2 calculations. Luc acknowledged that ESA’s funding and technical support accelerated the development of this project, allowing them to commercialise the technology in one year instead of several.
This webinar demonstrated how space technologies can support the transformation of the logistics and transport sector, enabling safer, more efficient and sustainable operations. With funding and support from ESA, companies can benefit from the tools to innovate, grow and make a meaningful impact.