Promoting innovation in the space sector, turning brilliant ideas into successful start-ups and inspiring the next generation of STEM talent: this is the goal of the #T-TeC Technology Contest by Leonardo and Telespazio, the open innovation competition presented in Rome during the NSE – New Space Economy Expo Forum.
Now in its seventh edition, #T-TeC invites students, PhD candidates and young researchers from universities worldwide to submit innovative solutions in various areas of the space sector. The contest aims to promote technological development and innovation in the space industry among younger generations, enhance their ideas and insights, and work with them to imagine the technological solutions that will shape the future.
The launch ceremony of #T-TeC was hosted by Telespazio’s Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Luca Petronzio, and featured contributions from: Gabriele Pieralli, Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio; Marco Brancati, SVP Technology, Innovation & Systems Architecture of Leonardo’s Space Division; Marco Ferrazzani, Director of Internal Services at the European Space Agency (ESA); and Augusto Cramarossa, Head of the Strategic Coordination Office at the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
This year as well, after the success of the previous six editions – which saw the participation of 500 students and researchers from 75 universities in over 20 countries – #T-TeC aims to serve as a true enabler for the incubation and acceleration of start-ups, thus supporting the growth and development of ideas from the project’s early stages through to full maturity.
Massimo Claudio Comparini, Managing Director of Leonardo’s Space Division, stated: “#T-TeC is a laboratory for the future, where the ideas of young talents can turn into solutions that will transform space exploration and the sustainability of Space. Leonardo, together with Telespazio, aims to offer them an ecosystem where they can innovate boldly, support the brightest ideas and help make them a reality. We are asking participants to be ambitious, because the future of Space is born from the ability to imagine beyond the boundaries of what seems possible.”
For this reason, in addition to the cash prizes reserved for the winner of the Idea category (five thousand euros) and the top three in the Prototype category (ten thousand, six thousand and four thousand euros respectively), Leonardo and Telespazio will offer participants the following opportunities, to be allocated at the discretion of the committee, taking into account the type and maturity of the projects submitted: one or more positions in the pre-incubation programmes of ESA BIC Turin; one or more positions in the pre-incubation programme of ESA BIC Lazio or Technology Transfer Lazio; one or more positions at ESA BIC Brindisi.
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16 December 2025
