Hackathon connects technology, expertise and potential users

Participants of the Space & Water Nexus Hackathon can bring an existing solution or developed concept, or work on one of the challenges provided by participating organisations. The event is organised by Groundstation.Space in collaboration with the Fierce programme, with support from partners.

Throughout the hackathon, challenge owners, potential end users, mentors and experts will be available to answer questions, provide feedback and exchange knowledge. This format also allows existing technologies and solutions to be considered in a different context. A company may already have technology, data or expertise that could be relevant to a challenge, without currently working in that particular sector or application area.

Different sectors in one place

The hackathon involves organisations from water and infrastructure, government, space and Earth observation sectors, as well as the regional innovation ecosystem. For participants, this means access to people with different perspectives on the same issues: organisations familiar with the operational challenges, specialists in Earth observation and data, technology companies, mentors and potential users.

The event takes place in Noordwijk, with its concentration of space and Earth observation organisations and expertise, while the challenges extend into areas such as water management, infrastructure, agriculture and environmental monitoring.

Meet potential end users and relevant stakeholders

Interaction with potential users is part of the programme throughout the 3 days of the hackathon. On the Saturday, following the project presentations and winner announcement, the hackathon will conclude with a matchmaking session with potential end users and relevant stakeholders.

The matchmaking provides additional time to present what has been developed during the hackathon, exchange contacts and continue discussions with organisations relevant to the challenges.

Discover more

Join the info session on 23 Sep to hear more about the challenges, programme, available data and tools, participation requirements and practical information, followed by an open Q&A.

Register for info session

The hackathon is aimed at startups, research teams and technical teams with existing expertise, technology or developed concepts that can be applied to challenges in water, infrastructure and environmental monitoring.

Prizes and follow-up opportunities with the Fierce programme

The winning team will receive a cash prize and support to prepare an application for the second call of the Fierce Financial Support Programme, subject to the programme’s eligibility and selection requirements. Other prizes include a prototyping workshop at CometLab, a personalised funding opportunity scan, introductions to the local startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and media exposure and promotion.

Fierce supports eligible SMEs that use downstream space data to develop or adopt solutions that reduce environmental impact. Selected applicants can receive a voucher of up to 50,000 euros to contract external service providers, with support available for projects ranging from ideation to scale-up and commercialisation. Applications close for this round on 9 Nov 2026 at 17:00 CET.

KEY DATES

Info Session starts: Wed 23 Sep (16:00 CEST); register
Hackathon deadline: Fri 25 Sep (by 17:00 CEST); register
Hackathon starts: Thu 1 Oct (at 16:00 CEST)
Hackathon ends: Sat 3 Oct (at 19:00 CEST)

Discover startups from ESA BIC Noordwijk with a water-related focus!

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Water themed post: ESA BIC Open Call: Earth observation applications using satellite data to protect water and oceans

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Some details below are shared from posts on the ESA website; see here and here

Organised by ESA’s SME Section supporting SMEs working with ESA, ISD 2026 facilitates networking and the establishing of new business contacts. It includes pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, exhibitions highlighting the innovations and expertise of selected SMEs, briefings on business opportunities by large groups and institutional organisations, and a conference programme on space perspectives and market trends.

Meet representatives of ESA programmes

Over 2 days, Europe’s space industry will descend on ESA ESTEC to exchange ideas, showcase capabilities, discuss collaboration and explore opportunities with the Agency. You can meet in person with ESA BIC Noordwijk programme manager Jacobo Domingo and ESA Phi-Lab Netherlands programme director Pariya Pasha Zadeh. Pick up information and meet experts at the NL Space Campus stand #E41 in the exhibition area.

ESA has also reserved dedicated booths in the ISD Exhibition Hall for startups to present in an area called the ESA BIC Village. “At Industry Space Days there will be thousands of pre-planned business meetings, presentations from ESA directors and industry leaders, and forums to share ideas and collaborate on new commercial uses of space. This is an opportunity for startups to introduce themselves to other industry players of all sizes for potential collaboration,” said Jens Kauffmann, Head of ESA’s SME Section.

As part of the ESA BIC Village you will also be able to speak to colleagues about esa-star registration, SME status and how you can access the ESA ESTEC laboratories.

Plan your space business meet-ups

If you want to meet lots of people at the ISD, make sure to fill in your profile on the Vimeet B2B platform. A completed profile ensures that participants know what your company offers and makes it more likely for meeting requests to be accepted.

Also, by completing your profile your meetings will be more detailed as the basic chit-chat won’t be necessary.

Additionally, be sure to browse the catalogue of participants at ISD 2026. You can connect online with all participants who have completed their profiles on the platform and start planning who you want to speak to at ISD 2026. Start making and accepting meeting requests now so you don’t miss out.

More tips for a successful ISD2026 event are available here.

Get financial support (€60K funding) to help launch your space business >>

Networking tip – join Connecting the Curious on 17 Sep

You never can quite call an event successful if you have not been to a fun side-event. And you don’t want to miss out on Connecting the Curious at the end of day 2. All ISD attendees are invited to this networking event, which is osted by NL Space Campus with pitching sessions in collaboration with ESA BIC Noordwijk. Take the short walk from ESA ESTEC and mingle with startups, young talent and space industry professionals.

Join for networking, pitches and live music, as well as food – with tables generously sponsored by CometLab, ESA BIC Noordwijk, ESA BIC Ireland, ESA Phi-Lab Netherlands and Tenics.

See you in the CometLab marquee from 17:00! And be sure to register soon as there is limited capacity.

Launch your space business at ESA BIC Noordwijk!

Got a promising idea? Apply to ESA BIC Noordwijk in 2026:

The post Meet ESA BIC Noordwijk and ESA Phi-Lab NL at Industry Space Days and join Connecting the Curious for networking appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.

This is an edited repost of the Deltares news item; view original here

Validation projects in water technology

This NEW-TTT challenge supports short, focused validation activities that strengthen the technical foundation, feasibility and market readiness of promising water technology innovations. Projects are carried out in collaboration with the unique facilities and expertise of Deltares, Wetsus and the University of Groningen.

Validation projects help innovators take the step from early-stage research to real market application. They do so by providing access to specialised testing facilities and by supporting the further development of technologies at TRL levels 3–5. In addition, they play a key role in demonstrating feasibility and building the necessary evidence base. At the same time, these projects prepare teams for next steps in business development or for attracting early-stage funding.

Who can take part in the challenge?

Early-stage Dutch startups or spin-offs affiliated with research institutions that do not yet have significant commercial turnover, and researchers or PhD students with a technology in the field of water treatment, monitoring, modelling, raw material recovery or related enabling technologies.

The maximum project duration is 6 months. Applications can be submitted until 31 October 2026. Visit the Deltares website for the full terms and conditions, assessment criteria and application procedure.

This is edited from the original news item published on the Deltares website.

Deltares is a community partner of SBIC Noordwijk; discover more here

Discover startups from ESA BIC Noordwijk with a water-related focus!

Water themed post: ESA BIC Open Call: Earth observation applications using satellite data to protect water and oceans

The post Accelerate your water technology towards real-world application (deadline: 31 Oct) appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.