Deadline: 09-Nov-2025
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in collaboration with Innovate UK Business Connect and partners, is launching the GeoAI Build and Pitch Programme from 13 to 15 January 2026 at the University of Leeds to support innovators developing Earth Observation and Artificial Intelligence-based solutions for scalable, cost-effective monitoring, reporting, and verification of nature-based carbon and biodiversity projects, aimed at improving data quality, transparency, and sustainable finance outcomes.
Nature-based solutions are central to climate and biodiversity strategies, yet their market growth is constrained by challenges in verification, transparency, and trust. EO data, alongside other technologies including AI, can help overcome these barriers by enabling continuous, scalable, and reproducible monitoring of land use, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity and environmental impact indicators. As financial institutions increasingly seek credible data to support green investments, there is a growing need for tools that link ecological performance to financial risk and opportunity. With global policy shifts and tightening Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulations, robust, tech-enabled MRV systems are needed to ensure nature-based solutions deliver measurable, lasting benefits. Some intended outcomes include improved trust in carbon and nature data, enhanced transparency for investors, and accelerated adoption of MRV systems. This challenge will also support policy alignment with ESG goals.
The GeoAI Build and Pitch Programme invites applications from innovators, start-ups, SMEs, large organisations, universities, Research Technology Organisations, and end users who aim to use Earth Observation and geospatial data combined with Artificial Intelligence to produce innovative prototypes. The programme focuses on enabling scalable monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of carbon and biodiversity projects that can support sustainable finance, credit validation, and automated compliance across environmental markets. Government participants may join as mentors or facilitators but cannot compete as teams, while all participating organisations must be UK-registered entities. International collaborations are permitted when the lead applicant is based in the UK.
The initiative features a three-day in-person Build and Pitch sprint event at Cloth Hall Court, University of Leeds, followed by a six-week incubation period forming part of the GeoAI Festival. This series will bring together innovators, businesses, academics, and public bodies to advance the use of AI in geospatial applications using EO data. Participants will be challenged to combine EO data, both public and commercial, with other datasets and apply AI tools to create commercially viable, cloud-native, software-only products that address defined challenge statements.
Selected teams will have the chance to showcase their prototypes at Space Comm Europe, scheduled for 4–5 March 2026 in London. The programme offers expert mentorship, access to cloud computing credits, and rich EO datasets to accelerate development. Through workshops on value proposition design, business modelling, and pitch development delivered by Growth Studio, participants will refine their prototypes and business approaches. All teams will receive exposure across partner networks and inclusion in the GeoAI Festival report, gaining valuable visibility within the UK space and AI innovation community.
The top five winning teams will be awarded tailored Commercialisation Credits worth up to £80,000 each, redeemable against the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Commercialisation Engine to support market readiness and future funding preparation. These winners will also be invited to pitch at the Downstream Theatre during Space Comm 2026, one of the UK’s leading space and technology events.
For more information, visit Innovate UK Business Connect.
