Create your context-aware system by combining sensing, embedded processing, connectivity, and Edge AI in your own hardware design.

The ST Innovation Challenge is STMicroelectronics’ flagship program designed to connect with and foster innovative startups, scaleups, and SMEs from around the world.

In today’s fast-evolving technology landscape, context awareness is becoming a key differentiator for advanced industrial and consumer applications. By combining MEMS sensors, embedded processing, Edge AI, and connectivity, innovators can create intelligent systems that react in real time, improve operational efficiency, enhance safety, and deliver superior user experiences.

This challenge is specifically looking for startups, scaleups and SMEs developing innovative electronic solutions, with a strong focus on hardware, embedded systems, and electronic design — not purely software- or cloud-based approaches. We welcome proposals that integrate smart sensing, edge intelligence, and connectivity into complete system architectures, including custom boards, sensor modules, embedded electronics, and application-specific hardware. Submissions that consist solely of software, mobile apps, or cloud services — without a dedicated hardware, sensor, or embedded electronics component — are outside the scope of this challenge.

We are particularly interested in solutions for high-end applications such as, but not limited to:

• Robotics and humanoids: advanced sensing and embedded intelligence for perception, navigation, motion control, and human-machine interaction.
• Industrial equipment maintenance and predictive maintenance: intelligent monitoring systems that detect anomalies, anticipate failures, and optimize the lifecycle of machines and industrial assets.
• Contextual sensing: systems that interpret environmental, machine, or user data to dynamically adapt behavior and performance in real time.
• Asset monitoring and tracking: solutions that localize, track, and monitor the condition of goods, equipment, and vehicles across logistics chains and industrial sites.
• Wireless sensor nodes with physical AI at the edge: autonomous, low-power nodes that sense, reason, and act locally — bringing physical AI directly into the device rather than the cloud.
• Drones, aerospace, and satellite applications: rugged, low-power sensing, navigation, and connectivity electronics for airborne, space, and non-terrestrial systems.
• Smart cities and agriculture: distributed sensing and edge intelligence for infrastructure, environmental monitoring, water management, livestock, and precision farming.
• Healthcare and wearables: biosignal sensing, medical and wellness devices, and body-worn electronics that process data on-device to protect privacy and extend battery life.

Participants are encouraged to focus on:

• Sensor integration: Use MEMS sensors and other devices to capture real-time data from the environment or system, such as motion, vibration, pressure, acoustic, inertial, magnetic, time-of-flight and ranging, environmental, and biosignals.
• Edge AI processing: Implement AI algorithms directly on embedded devices, sensors, or microcontrollers to analyze data locally, reduce latency, improve responsiveness, and preserve data privacy, including physical AI approaches in which perception, decision-making, and control run on the device itself.
• Connectivity solutions: Enable seamless communication between devices and systems using technologies such as NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and LPWAN options such as LoRaWAN, and NB-IoT, as well as satellite IoT connectivity.
• Context awareness: Develop mechanisms to interpret sensor data and generate actionable insights at the edge, allowing the system to adapt its behavior according to the surrounding environment or user activity.
• Hardware and electronic design: Design complete embedded hardware solutions, including sensor fusion, custom electronics, low-power architectures, and system-level integration.

Applications may span industrial automation, robotics and humanoids, predictive maintenance, asset monitoring and tracking, smart infrastructure, smart cities and agriculture, drones, aerospace and satellite applications, healthcare and wearable technology, home and building automation, and other high-value use cases where advanced sensing and intelligent electronic design create a real competitive advantage.

You can leverage the ST ecosystem with kits such as SensorTile.box PRO, STEVAL-NBIOTV1 and STWIN.box as well as the software within the ST Edge AI Suite and ST AIoT Craft tools for a comprehensive end-to-end solution to the cloud. Unleash your creativity by adding any external add-on through the expander connector using UART, I2C, SPI, GPIOs, and more.

Join the ST Innovation Challenge, apply for a free development kit, and boost your success through:

• Collaboration with ST’s team including field application experts with experience supporting start-ups.
• Advice from international tech leaders on business development.
• Apply for and get free development kits from STMicroelectronics.
• Speaking slots in the Innovation World Cup® finals at Hannover Messe 2027, WT | Wearable Technologies Conferences, MEDICA, BIM World MUNICH, and further prominent tech events.
• Free marketing packages and extensive media coverage at a global level.
• Promotion in the Hall of Fame of the Innovation World Cup® Series.

All submissions to the ST Innovation Challenge will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Level of innovation: How novel is the technical approach compared to solutions already available on the market.
• Technological feasibility: How realistic is the implementation, given the maturity of your hardware and the expertise of your team.
• Commercial potential: How large and reachable is the addressable market, and how clear is the customer benefit.
• Marketing & go-to-market approach: How credible is your plan to acquire initial or additional customers, build partnerships, and scale?
• Time to market: How quickly can the solution move from prototype to a product ready for sale.
• Sustainability: How does the solution reduce energy consumption, material use, or environmental impact over its lifecycle.
• Seize the opportunity to compete and showcase your potential on the global stage.

Participation is free of charge.