€12.5 million awarded to Involve Space by the EIC Accelerator of the European Commission's Horizon program
€12.5 million awarded to Involve Space by the EIC Accelerator of the European Commission's Horizon program
Grants and investments go to the Como-based company to develop the new European stratospheric monitoring infrastructure
Como, 19 February 2026
Involve Space, a deep-tech company specialized in autonomous stratospheric platforms and artificial intelligence for Earth observation, has been selected by the European Commission among the 61 start-ups and SMEs awarded in the latest round of the EIC Accelerator. The EIC Accelerator is one of the most competitive and prestigious European funding instruments, part of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation. Horizon Europe allocates a total budget of €95.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period, supporting projects focused on green and digital transitions, health, and industrial competitiveness.
The official announcement was published in recent days by the European Commission, which disclosed the names of the 61 selected companies that successfully passed the three-stage evaluation process. This year, the selection procedure proved particularly stringent. Three Italian companies, including Involve Space, were among the winners of this EIC round, which has a total estimated funding budget of approximately €467 million.
To date, only 30 Italian companies have gained access to the EIC programme.
The blended financing structure, combining grants and equity investment from the European Commission, will enable Involve Space to develop the next generation of high-altitude autonomous platforms. These platforms will feature predictive navigation, intelligent station-keeping, and modular payload configurations for multi-sector missions, ranging from critical infrastructure monitoring and rapid disaster response to national and European security applications.
Involve Space’s project, AIM – Autonomous Intelligent Monitoring for Real-Time Stratospheric Earth Observation, aims to transform the Earth observation sector through an integrated platform that combines reusable stratospheric balloons, artificial intelligence, and real-time data analytics. The system is designed for high scalability and a broad range of commercial, scientific, and institutional applications. These include priority areas for Europe such as technological sovereignty, critical infrastructure resilience, and strategic territorial monitoring.
A New Generation of Earth Observation Technologies
Involve Space delivers a comprehensive solution within the Earth Observation landscape through its proprietary technologies, including the Stratostats® and Stratorelay® systems, the AI software Neurostar®, which enables precise balloon maneuverability, and the CLEAR platform for real-time data analysis, advanced mapping, and ultra-high-resolution image processing, allowing immediate visualization of actionable insights.
Involve Space’s technologies occupy a high-value niche within the remote sensing sector, offering significant advantages over both satellites and drones:
• Continuous monitoring at significantly lower costs compared to satellites
• Higher temporal resolution and shorter data acquisition intervals
• Rapid deployment of stratospheric platforms
• Longer mission duration and greater scalability compared to drones
• Automated analysis and immediate insights for sectors such as precision agriculture, critical infrastructure, environment, logistics, and defence
A Recognition of European Leadership in Frontier Innovation
The EIC Accelerator supports high-potential, high-risk technologies with the objective of creating new, highly competitive markets and strengthening European technological sovereignty. Involve Space’s admission to the programme represents a strong endorsement of the company’s technological maturity and its ability to transform Earth observation into a more accessible, faster, and smarter service.
“This result confirms Involve’s vision: bringing Earth observation into a new era, where data is not only collected, but interpreted in real time to support critical commercial and defense decisions,”
said Jonathan Polotto, inventor and Chief Executive Officer of Involve Space.
Claudio Piazzai, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Involve Space, commented on the achievement:
“With AIM, we are building the first layer of a multi-domain infrastructure in which autonomous platforms and artificial intelligence converge into an operating system for Earth Intelligence.”
Commercialisation Support
The EIC Accelerator funding will enable Involve Space to:
• Accelerate the development of the core technologies behind the AIM project
• Complete the deployment of the LoonHive® constellation of stratospheric platforms
• Further enhance CLEAR as the first conversational artificial intelligence system for geospatial applications
• Strengthen partnerships with space agencies, government institutions, and major European enterprises
With this milestone, Involve Space positions itself as one of the most competitive players in the European landscape of Earth observation and frontier technologies within the European space economy.
