The European Space Agency (ESA), together with the Italian leading company for road infrastructure management ANAS, has launched a new Grand Challenge, titled ‘’Enhanced positioning 4 Smart Road”.
The ESA Grand Challenges sets goals for entrepreneurs and start-up companies who compete to develop solutions to problems posed by industry. The challenges - which may be technical, scientific or societal - attract a wide community of thinkers and problem-solvers to address specific challenges with unconventional and disruptive approaches, capable of triggering the development and exploitation of unforeseen spin-off businesses.
The challenge
The competition organized with ANAS invites teams to develop pioneering solutions that leverage space-based technologies to revolutionise road safety and autonomous driving. The challenge focuses on two key objectives:
enhancing GNSS positioning accuracy in smartphones using advanced techniques like real-time kinematic correction and AI-driven data integration;
expanding the use of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) to improve driver assistance, reduce accidents, and ensure safer travel.
With its prize of up to €100,000, the challenge offers a unique opportunity for ambitious European teams to push the limits of smart road infrastructure. Participants are expected to propose solutions that will shape the future of connected vehicles and road systems. More in detail, through this challenge ANAS and ESA aim to create the next generation of road systems, where cars and infrastructure communicate in real-time, enabling autonomous driving, reducing accidents and enhancing overall road safety: this is a critical step toward realising the full potential of connected vehicles and smart infrastructure.
Teams wishing to compete in the Enhanced Positioning 4 Smart Road ESA Grand Challenge should carefully read its Terms and Conditions, then submit the application by sending an email including the required materials to grand.challenge@esa.int. Applications to the challenge will be open until March 31st, 2025.
About ANAS
Founded in 1946 as "Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade", ANAS is a joint-stock company that operates on a national and international level with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane as sole shareholder. ANAS is also subject to the auditing and technical-operative supervision of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
ANAS manages most of Italy’s national roads and motorways and is responsible for all of the activities this implies, from their design, including feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments, to their construction and ordinary and extraordinary maintenance. Today ANAS’ network includes more than 32.000 kms of roads and motorways, including junctions and split roads, approximately 18.720 bridges and viaducts, 2.157 tunnels, 18 regional operations centres.
It is also spearheading the “ANAS Smart Road” programme, which is going to revolutionise road transport by focusing on safety, connectivity, and innovation. This programme lays the foundation for the future of autonomous driving by introducing multifunctional C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) stations along key roadways. These stations communicate bidirectionally with vehicles, enhancing the driving experience and improving road management through real-time data exchange.
The ANAS Smart Road App further supports this vision by offering mobility services to users across Italy’s road network, transforming smartphones into valuable tools for assisted driving and improving overall road safety. By embracing advanced GNSS technologies and connected vehicle systems, ANAS is leading the way toward a future where road travel is smarter, safer and more efficient.
