Nabat TerraPod Challenge

Innovate together with ASPIRE and Nabat to push technology advancement to the next level!

Challenge Step by Step
This roadmap follows three phases, taking the challenge from proposal solicitation to live UAV field validation over an estimated eight months, from launch to award.
Phase 1: Proposal Solicitation

Startups, researchers, and technology providers are invited to submit seed-carrier proposals addressing the problem statement and technical requirements set out below.

Criteria for Application

To participate, participants are required to:

  • Register on the challenge platform
  • Complete the participation form
  • Please upload an 8–10-slide proposal deck in PDF format (maximum file size: 10 MB) covering the following:
    • Team overview and relevant experience (details of the applicant, and ability to execute)
    • Seed-carrier composition (how many seeds per species per seed-carrier), dimensions, preparation method, deployment methodology, and compatibility with UAV-based seeding
    • Historical evidence of seed-carrier deployment and success rate, with references
    • Germination performance data (vs. adjacent reference sites)
    • Indicative cost per seed-carrier (≤ AED 0.4)
    • Sustainability and biodegradability of materials used (non-toxic, safe, and free of microplastics)
    • Production capacity and scalability over the next 5 years
    • Readiness (prototype status, or a credible plan to prototype)

Submission Deadline: 19 November 2026

All deliverables must be submitted in English.

All proposals will be screened and evaluated by an expert evaluation panel against the scoring criteria, and semi-finalists will be notified in November 2026:

  • Overall Quality & Sustainability of the Solution
  • Germination Effectiveness
  • Cost Effectiveness
  • Integration with Nabat UAV
  • Production / Scalability
Phase 2: Video Pitch

The Video Pitch phase takes place in December 2026.

Semi-finalists present their solutions through short live video pitches, answering the following questions:

  • What is the rationale for the solution, and the history of its development?
  • What is the solution’s success rate so far?
  • Has the solution already been deployed and tested in desert / arid conditions?
  • What is the team’s track record?

Evaluation Criteria

  • Experience / Track Record
    • What is the rationale for the solution, and the history of its development?
    • What is their success rate so far?
    • Has it already been deployed and tested in desert / arid conditions?
  • Team Competence / Confidence
    • Are evaluators confident in the team’s ability to deliver?

Finalists will be notified in December 2026.

Phase 3: Solution Validation & Holistic Review

This phase covers live UAV field validation and a holistic winner-selection review.

Finalists will be required to submit all materials for validation by 1 January 2027. Finalists must provide ready-to-deploy seed-carriers matching the specified seed mix and species (from 2 options for seed-mix, 3 species per mix). Participants to specify how many seeds per species are in each seed carrier. Where a finalist cannot supply ready-to-deploy seed carriers (containing the seeds), they must instead provide their seed mix along with clear instructions for ASPIRE to assemble the carriers. In the latter case, Nabat will provide the seeds.

In January–February 2027 (targeted), Nabat deploys the seed-carriers via UAV in non-controlled desert environments for 8–10 weeks of validation.

In March 2027 a holistic evaluator review will take place to produce a winner recommendation. Expert evaluators review the top-scored submissions holistically, combining validation results with final deliberation, based on the following criteria:

  • Germination Effectiveness: Did the solution have significantly high germination? (a germination rate higher than that in adjacent reference areas)
  • Integration with Nabat UAV: Could the seed-carrier be deployed by Nabat’s UAV platform?

The winner will be announced in Q2 2027.

Participate