European Regional Hackathon to Promote U.S.-Europe Cooperation in Space | PAS UKRAINE 2021 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS UKRAINE 2021 003

The U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Mission to Ukraine (U.S. Embassy Kyiv), is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement to support a European Regional Space Hackathon designed to strengthen U.S.-Europe cooperation in space and to cultivate the next generation of space and technology professionals. The core of the project is a space-themed program that combines a two-day preparatory workshop with a two-to-three-day hackathon, aimed at crowdsourcing practical, innovative solutions to challenges tied to space exploration and space security. The program is meant to be multinational by design, with participation from the United States, Ukraine, and at least ten additional European countries, and it emphasizes collaboration across borders by forming inter-country teams that work together throughout the competition.

The funded organization is expected to build and run the full hackathon ecosystem, not just host an event. That includes coordinating closely with the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and other U.S. embassies across Europe, and engaging host-country governments, universities, civil society groups, and private-sector stakeholders. A central requirement is that registrations, communications, project submissions, and judging take place virtually through a single online platform created and managed by the grantee. All programming is to be conducted in English, while also budgeting for locally sourced interpretation and translation at minimum for Ukrainian and Russian to ensure accessibility and broader engagement.

The content of the hackathon will be structured around several curated "problem statements" focused on real-world space issues. Example topic areas include cybersecurity for space research and operations, rocket manufacturing (including 3D printing applications), lunar or Mars exploration and development, space law and governance, atmospheric monitoring, space debris mitigation, robotics for space applications, satellite construction, and satellite launching. The grantee proposes the final problem statements, but they must be developed in consultation with credible space experts and participating U.S. embassies to ensure relevance and technical legitimacy. The two-day workshop portion is expected to orient participants to one another, introduce and explain the problem statements, teach what strong hackathon projects look like, provide pitch training, and formally organize participants into their multinational teams before the competition begins.

During the hackathon itself, teams compete to develop the most practical and innovative solutions to the selected problem statements, culminating in formal presentations to an international panel of judges and subject-matter experts. A key expectation is the meaningful involvement of established space experts from the United States and participating countries as mentors, with the grantee responsible for recruiting and organizing them so teams have access to guidance throughout the event. The grantee must also recruit judges and evaluators, monitor event operations, keep participants aligned with the rules and schedule, handle facilitation and troubleshooting on the online platform, and ensure the overall experience remains productive and fair.

The opportunity places strong emphasis on maintaining momentum beyond the hackathon, so applicants must build in both pre-hackathon engagement and post-hackathon continuation. Before the main event, the grantee must run at least two to three pre-program activities to generate interest and prepare participants, such as public expert lectures tied to the hackathon themes, networking events for registered participants, and space or tech skill-building workshops. After the event, the grantee is expected to deliver prizes and coordinate significant post-event publicity with a clear multinational media component. The program must also include at least two to three follow-on alumni-oriented activities to sustain collaboration and professional development. Examples include an in-person alumni conference if travel restrictions allow (with preference that the grantee covers these costs through grant funds or cost share), virtual alumni networking with guest speakers, an alumni-only speaker series or mentorship track, educational travel opportunities for top teams in Europe or the United States, and chances for winning teams to mentor younger space enthusiasts.

From an applicant capability standpoint, the Embassy is looking for organizations with demonstrated experience running virtual events, credible expertise in space or technology topics, strong youth outreach capacity, and proven ability to operate in a multi-stakeholder, multi-country environment that includes Ukrainian, other European, and U.S. partners. The selected award recipient is also accountable for oversight and performance management of any sub-awards, with the constraint that no sub-awardee may receive more than $25,000 total. Cost-sharing is explicitly encouraged, and the Embassy reserves the right to adjust project design elements, budgets, participating countries or regions, and participant numbers based on program needs and available funding.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number PAS UKRAINE 2021 003, with an award ceiling of $100,000 and an expectation of one award. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, including those with 501(c)(3) status and those without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases, other than institutions of higher education). The original posting timeframe shows a creation date of December 31, 2020, and an original closing date of February 17, 2021. A sample schedule included in the notice outlines planning in early 2021, a program launch aligned with major space-themed observances (International Day of Human Space Flight or Space Day), a spring-to-summer registration and publicity period, a hackathon in September 2021, pitching and follow-on activities around Space Week in early October, and evaluation and closeout by the end of 2021. Overall, the grant is structured to deliver not only a one-time competition, but a sustained pipeline of cross-border collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth in the space sector.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Ukraine in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), environment, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "European Regional Hackathon to Promote U.S.-Europe Cooperation in Space" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 31, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 17, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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