The 2011 European Satellite Navigation Competition "GSA Special Topic Prize" for EGNOS goes to CATUAV, a small company in Catalonia that is developing a Mini-UAV Traffic Collision Avoidance System, harnessing the power of EGNOS to bring mini-UAVs into their own in civil aviation.

This year, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) GSA Special Topic Prize for the most promising EGNOS application has been awarded to CATUAV. This small company in Catalonia is working on a Mini-UAV Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), using GPS and EGNOS to allow these high-flying gizmos to navigate safely in controlled airspace where they can do the most good.

Thanks to this prize the CATUAV team will have the opportunity to further develop its ideas for six months at an incubation centre of its own choice. The GSA Special Topics Prize has meant new publicity for his company and project, and even more motivation for the CATUAV team and for investors.

The sponsorship of a Special Topic Award at the annual European Satellite Navigation Competition is part of the GSA’s overall programme to foster new applications for EGNOS, and, later on, Galileo. Recently, the two first satellites of this European programme has been launched. The applications must provide economic and social benefit to Europeans and to European industry. The European Satellite Navigation Competition, which takes place since 2004, is an international competition that awards the best ideas for innovative applications in satellite navigation.