The foundation Andalucía Emprende, attached to the Ministry of University, Industry, Energy and Innovation, and the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) are promoting a new edition of the ‘NASA Space Apps Challenge’, the world's largest STEAM hackathon. This event will take place at the AEE headquarters in Seville on November 14 and 15.
Organized by NASA and its associated agencies, with the support of Andalucía Emprende, the challenge will bring together creative, scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial profiles. The objective is to develop innovative solutions to challenges posed by scientists and technologists from the US agency, working in teams over the weekend using science, technology, and open data.
Jorge Paradela, Minister of University, Industry, Energy and Innovation and president of Andalucía Emprende, highlighted the “decided commitment of the Andalusian Government to the aerospace industry” as a driver of innovation, qualified employment, and economic growth. He noted that initiatives like this bring the opportunities of the space economy closer to young people and entrepreneurs, fostering talent and new business projects.
Paradela encouraged participation, calling the event “an opportunity to apply talent to real challenges and explore new opportunities linked to the space economy”. He emphasized the increasingly solid and competitive Andalusian aerospace ecosystem and how these meetings strengthen the connection between knowledge, companies, and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Juan Carlos Cortés, director of the Spanish Space Agency, stated that Seville's selection to host the challenge demonstrates local talent for working with real NASA data. He underlined the importance of bringing the space sector closer to new generations so they see it as a field where they can contribute ideas and address future challenges.
Interested individuals can register on the official NASA Space Apps Challenge website and choose from 14 challenges covering space exploration, Earth observation, artificial intelligence, as well as sustainability, health, and space biology. Participants will be able to develop applications, prototypes, predictive models, or creative projects.
This edition reinforces the commitment of Andalucía Emprende and the AEE to promoting scientific and technological vocations, and positions Seville as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.
The previous edition, in 2025, gathered 114,094 registered participants globally. In Spain, nearly 800 participants convened simultaneously in six cities. In Seville, projects like that of the local team ‘Dreamcity’, formed by students aged 11 and 14 from San Francisco de Paula school, who designed sustainable cities of the future, stood out. The team ‘FyCUS’, from the University of Seville, was a global finalist with a proposal for recycling waste on Mars.
