Building on the success of its previous edition, the Aerospace Open Innovation Challenge (AOIC) 2026 invites startups and SMEs to reimagine the aerospace and space industries. Organized by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) in collaboration with leading aerospace corporates, the challenge calls on innovators to drive transformation through automation and digitalization, develop next-generation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) or manufacturing processes, and advance future technologies in emerging and sustainable tech. The initiative provides a platform for participants to test, pilot, and scale their solutions for validated industry use cases, offering access to cutting-edge facilities, partnerships with key industry leaders, and potential funding support for co-development and pilots.
Challenge Themes
• Digitalisation
• Productivity
• Sustainability
Opportunities and Incentives
• Total of up to S$400,000 of funding support is available.
• Partner with industry leaders.
• Gain mentorship and co-development opportunities.
• Access prototyping and proof-of-concept funding support.
Challenge Timeline
• Application Phase (2 February 2026 - 17 April 2026): Startups and SMEs can submit solutions by completing the participation form and submitting a proposal deck of 5 to 10 slides maximum.
• Shortlisting Phase (5-22 May 2026): Challenge statement owners will evaluate proposals and select potential solutions. The list of shortlisted innovators will be announced by 22 May 2026.
• Clarification Phase (25 May 2026 - 12 June 2026): Shortlisted innovators will connect directly with challenge statement owners in 1-to-1 sessions for further clarification and final evaluation.
• Final Selection (End of June 2026): The final announcement of matched innovators will be made via email by the end of June 2026.
Industry Briefing
An industry briefing session is available for participants to gain insights for the challenge. The session will cover:
• Challenge Insights: Detailed explanations on each challenge from the demand drivers.
• Solution Preferences & Constraints: Information on what solutions are favored and the constraints to consider.
• Q&A Opportunity: A live Q&A session to clarify any doubts.
Organizers and Partners
• Organised By: Enterprise Singapore
• Co-organised By: EDB, OSTIn, JTC, AAIS
• Challenge Statement Owners: Airbus, AIR Lab, ArianeGroup, Bombardier, Rolls-Royce
• In Partnership With: Agorize
AOIC 2026 offers startups and SMEs a clear pathway to turn strong ideas into validated industry collaborations, through direct engagement with aerospace challenge owners, structured evaluation, and access to co-development and prototyping support.