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INNOspace Masters is an international innovation competition and part of the INNOspace® initiative. The German Space Agency at DLR initiated the competition in 2015 and organises it every year together with prominent partners from industry and ESA. The competition is open to companies of all sizes, start-ups, research institutions and universities as well as individuals worldwide and promotes ideas for the transfer of technologies and know-how from other industries to the space sector (spin-ins/New Space) or from space to non-space sectors (spin-offs). Industry partners include Airbus, Mercedes-Benz and OHB. Each of the five partners (DLR, ESA, Airbus, Mercedes-Benz, OHB) is providing a challenge for the competition (ESA even two, so six in total). Participants can choose from these six challenges the one that best suits their thematic focus and the maturity of their idea. The challenges cover the entire spectrum of the innovation process – from R&D projects, start-ups and new business models to market-ready solutions.
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Since its launch, the INNOspace Masters competition has attracted more than 2,500 participants from 45 countries, who have submitted a total of 1,110 ideas. To date, the total price money and grants awarded to all winners combined amounts to €14.1 million. This price money will enable the winners to develop their ideas further and turn them into concrete innovation projects with the support of the respective challenge partners.
The German Space Agency at DLR has the task of implementing the German government’s space strategy in concrete programmes and projects, and of exploiting the potential for both technology transfer and the development of new markets. To achieve this, the DLR Space Agency launched the INNOspace® initiative in early 2013 to promote innovation, transfer and new markets. INNOspace Masters is part of this initiative.