The ENAIRE Foundation announces SPACE PRIZE, the 28th edition of its awards to promote aeronautical culture

The ENAIRE Foundation, a cultural entity associated with ENAIRE, announces the twenty-eighth edition of its aeronautical awards. New this year is the creation of a prize for space applications for air and space mobility and transport.

The ENAIRE Foundation Awards for research, innovation and communication in air transport are the only awards in these fields that are presented in Spain.

Projects wishing to be considered for any of the five aeronautical categories have to be presented digitally before 31 May 2023 using the registration form provided by the ENAIRE Foundation for this purpose on its website (https://fundacionenaire.es/), which contains all the information and the rules for each category.

For the first time, a new category has been created: Space Prize.

- The ENAIRE Foundation awards this prize in recognition of innovative work in the application of space technology for air and space mobility. Through this prize, the Foundation demonstrates its clear commitment to the development of research and innovation initiatives involving technology applied to aerial and space mobility and transport, both for commercial and non-commercial aviation, including the promotion of space applications to improve the management of air traffic, drones and urban air mobility, and to integrate solutions and modes of operation in the space field.This award, in keeping with ENAIRE's Strategic Plan, the 2025 Flight Plan, also aims to promote technological solutions and applications to enhance air navigation, surveillance and satellite communications services, and regulatory initiatives to make aviation more sustainable.

- Eligible for this category are all the works, studies or projects conducted or published between 2021 and 2022 that provide a unique and practical contribution that can be applied to aerial mobility and to air and space transport, in particular:

- Technological research and innovation that can be applied to the field of air and space mobility and transport, for both commercial and non-commercial aviation (general aviation).

- Development of space applications to improve the management of air traffic (ATM/ASM), space traffic (STM), drones and urban air mobility (U-Space/UTM).

- Integration of solutions, data and modes of operation that improve safety and allow the integration of the concepts of space traffic management (HAO/STM) with ATM/ASM.

- Promotion of technological solutions and applications to enhance satellite CNS services, as well as Aeronautical Information services (AIM).

- Legal and regulatory initiatives needed to develop the sector, including the coordination of solutions for civil-military air navigation.

- Application of space technologies to reduce the impact and improve the environmental sustainability of aviation.

- Proposals for standardising national solutions with European standards.

- Institutional campaigns that promote and advance the use of space solutions to improve mobility and the management of air and space traffic.

This prize is worth 10,000 euros.

- Luis Azcárraga Aeronautical Aviation Award for work, studies or projects published in 2022 in an official language of Spain or in English and that make a unique and practical contribution to air transport in terms of planning and organisation, economic and administrative management, environmental impact and protection, or technological research and innovation.

It is worth 10,000 euros.

- José Ramón López Villares Award for Undergraduate and Master's theses in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering, as well as in Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering and Architecture, presented in any Spanish university and that involves air navigation or airports. The projects, written in an official language of Spain or in English, must have been submitted and approved in 2022.

A maximum of two prizes is awarded every year, each one worth 3,000 euros:  one project on air navigation, and another on airports.

- R&Drone Award for those works, studies, projects, articles, technical publications, etc., that make a unique contribution to innovation in the drone sector, in the fields of aircraft design and aircraft system technologies (including propulsion, communications, control, etc.), drone production, operation and traffic management, as well as the development of new applications.

As in previous editions, the ENAIRE Foundation is again partnering with Airbus Spain to link this award with the latest developments in the aviation industry. The winner will be able to present the project to technical managers at Airbus Spain, who, if the project interests them, will consider prototyping it.

It is worth 10,000 euros.

- Aeronautical Journalism Award for works of journalism that are related to air transport, air navigation, or airport facilities and airport services in general. The works, written in an official language of Spain, or in English, must have been published or issued sometime in 2022 in Spanish press, radio, television, digital media or online publications. Up to three articles may be presented per candidate.

It is worth 10,000 euros.

The work of the ENAIRE Foundation

The ENAIRE Foundation is a cultural organisation linked to ENAIRE. Its objectives include the fostering of aeronautical culture and the preservation, expansion and spreading of ENAIRE's artistic heritage. This heritage consists of a notable collection of Spanish and Ibero-American art, spanning from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day, and encompassing more than a thousand works of all types. In addition, since last July, the ENAIRE Foundation has had a permanent venue for the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art at the Naves de Gamazo in Santander.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 45 control towers receive ENAIRE's communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country's busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is Europe's fourth largest air traffic manager and participates in the A6 Alliance, a coalition of air navigation providers responsible for over 80% of European air traffic, and which is seeking to modernise the air traffic management system. It is also a member of other international alliances promoting the Single European sky, such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO and ICAO.

ENAIRE, as the agency appointed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to implement the U-space system in Spain, will be the provider of the Common Information Services (CIS), which are essential for administering U-space services to drones and Urban Air Mobility, in interaction with local air traffic control services, so that all types of aircraft can fly safely in the same airspace.

ENAIRE has received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator. It has also been awarded the EFQM 500 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.