<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><div><div class="AppleOriginalContents"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div lang="EN-ZA" link="blue" vlink="purple" class=""><div class="m_-1326856498124464687WordSection1"><table class="m_-1326856498124464687MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0" width="750" style="width:450.0pt"><tbody class=""><tr class=""><td width="1000" colspan="3" style="width:600.0pt;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:15.6pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"" class=""></span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p>
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<td width="1000" colspan="3" style="width:600.0pt;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt" class=""><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and Airbus Defence and Space, has launched an open innovation challenge seeking home-grown and novel uses for earth observation data obtained by satellites.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">Airbus Defence and Space will offer the top submission access to the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in order to identify future commercial opportunities. The offer will include a site visit to Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse,
France. In South Africa, The Innovation Hub will assist the top solution provider with product and business incubation support. Submissions from entrepreneurs, universities and other interested parties are welcome.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">Shortlisted submissions will be able to access support from specialists at Airbus Defence and Space, and SANSA. They will be able to request data sets at no cost, and will also receive a three-day business model design; validation;
pitching, and negotiation workshop to help develop their proposals for the final evaluation. Furthermore business introductions will be facilitated with senior decision makers at potential client organisations through a business matchmaking workshop.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">SANSA and Airbus Defence and Space believe there is significant opportunity to apply earth observation data locally, project coordinator, Davis Cook said the following at the launch: "The value that earth observation data can provide
in creating meaningful change to society is increasing by the day - new digital technologies such as machine learning are giving us unprecedented insight into the world around us. This challenge gives South African entrepreneurs an opportunity to gain a foothold
into a global, multi-billion dollar industry together with one of the largest global aerospace firms... it's a unique and seriously awesome opportunity!"<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">The deadline for submitting proposals is 17 July 20107 and can be submitted via the
<a href="http://www.solexinnovation.com/link.php?data=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.openix.theinnovationhub.com%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3Dview_challengeampersandchallenge_id%3D71&i=8c13d2ae304882386c56ef148603d0f6a57689b6" target="_blank" class="">
OpenIX website</a>.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">There will be an introductory challenge workshop at the beginning of June, to assist interested parties in understanding the open innovation process and to address individual technical queries.<br class="">
For any challenge process or technical queries contact Heinrich Williems at <span style="font-size:10.0pt" class=""> <a href="tel:+27%2083%20305%209224" value="+27833059224" target="_blank" class="">+27 (0) 83 305 9224</a> or send an email to </span><a href="mailto:openix@theinnovationhub.com?subject=Support" target="_blank" class=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"" class="">openix@theinnovationhub.com</span></a>.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""><a href="http://www.solexinnovation.com/link.php?data=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.openix.theinnovationhub.com%2F&i=8c13d2ae304882386c56ef148603d0f6a57689b6" target="_blank" class="">OpenIX
</a>is a programme of The Innovation Hub, a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA). The Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (<a href="http://www.solexinnovation.com/link.php?data=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.riis.co.za&i=8c13d2ae304882386c56ef148603d0f6a57689b6" target="_blank" class="">RIIS</a>)
acts as a service provider for all the parties involved.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""><strong class="">What is Open Innovation?</strong><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">An open approach to innovation, akin to crowd sourcing, believes that the best ideas can often be found outside of a single organisation . Open innovation helps organisations to rapidly identify and source ideas and solutions in
a safe and low risk manner. <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""><strong class="">What is meant by challenge?</strong><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">An open innovation challenge is a public call, intended to bring together as many great ideas and solutions as possible to solve a problem, or take advantage of an opportunity. Challenges are usually run via an online Open Innovation
platform.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""> <strong class="">Who is Airbus Defence and Space?</strong><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class="">Airbus Defence and Space is a division of the Airbus Group and is Europe's leading defence and space enterprise. It is the second largest player in the space industry worldwide and generates about €14 billion per year. The company
is a recognised leader in the geospatial information market and provides an array of solutions built on satellite earth observation data. The company has exclusive access to data from the SPOT and Pléiades optical satellites as well as the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X
radar satellites<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""><strong class="">Who is SANSA? </strong><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p style="line-height:15.6pt" class=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt" class="">The South African National Space Agency was established in 2010 through South African National Space Agency Act (Act No. 36 of 2008), although South Africa's involvement in Earth Observation dates
back to 1978. SANSA hosts an impressive archive containing more than 150 terabytes of remote sensing data, dating back to 1972. The aim of this data collection is to help improve the livelihoods of communities across Africa through the delivery of space-derived
services and products, high-impact collaborative R&D and active partnerships.</span><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p>
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